Winter's Mirror
by KharmicHammer
Summary: Anna Summers, newly divorced, is trying to start a new life on her own when magic interferes. Now she has to figure out what's going on and why she's stuck in this mess in the first place. As for Elsa... Elsanna, rated M for drama, violence, other stuff.
1. Ch 01 - Starting Life Over Again

_A/N: First off, the usual disclaimer, I don't own Frozen or the characters, and this story is strictly for entertainment purposes._

 _A/N 2: This story is in no way related to my Wings of Ice story. This one is in a separate AU. Yes, it will be Elsanna. Yes, there will be magic. Sorry if those aren't your things._

 _I'm not sure how long this one will be right now, but I'll try to figure that out soon. The update schedule will be a bit slower than Wings, probably every other week or so. Also, the rating will probably be M._

 _A/N 3: This starts out a bit dark, so yeah..._

* * *

 **Winter's Mirror**

 **Chapter 01**

Starting Life Over Again

Anna Summers set down her phone with a sigh. Another wasted Saturday of touring apartments she couldn't afford or didn't like. The latest one had been decent, but with no laundry in the building and nothing close, that was unacceptible. One she visited earlier this morning had been very nice, but a few hundred dollars a month too much for her. This one had no parking, that was run by a sleazy landlord who'd spent the whole tour trying to peer down her blouse, another was simply too small for how much was asked per month.

The redhead slumped in her chair. She'd been lucky enough to find a job as a restoration specialist at the museum, especially since she had just moved out west to Seattle. She'd never really liked New York, but Adam's import business had been headquartered there and she'd had her job at one of the more prominent art galleries. Plus, she'd been able to take various classes at the universities, dabbling in anything that caught her interest.

That had been Anna's life for the better part of the past six years. They'd moved to New York shortly after she'd graduated college so that Adam could take over the family business, and married a little later. Over the years, she drifted out of contact with her friends from college, time and distance and life driving a wedge between them. Making friends at work and keeping them also proved a challenge. As Adam's resposibilities at the company expanded, she found herself helping him more and more, until she was down to working part time for a few hours a week. They didn't need the money, but Anna needed to do something to keep herself busy.

It didn't help that since Adam ran the company, she was expected to host the spouses of the other upper members of the business. That particular aspect, Anna despised. She had nothing in common with the women she was forced to socialize with. Most of them were more concerned with status and reputation and money. She had to put up with constant slights and insults when she entertained them, making every 'party' an exercise in aggravation. The few who didn't were too busy with their families, and since Anna and Adam didn't have children, she had little to share with them either.

That had been her life most days. Go to work a few days, attend some classes, but for the most part her time was spent working with Adam as he took the reins of the import business. And as their success grew, Anna grew more and more miserable. Adam spent the majority of his time in the office while she struggled to find a real purpose in her life. Where once they'd shared as much time together as they could, they soon found themselves with nothing except for the import firm in common. Towards the end, they were little more than two people who happened to live in the same apartment. Looking back, all the signs had been there, but she'd convinced herself to ignore them while she tried to preserve their marriage.

* * *

 _Anna shut the door behind herself and dropped her bag on the floor while she kicked off her shoes. She resisted the urge to slump down right there. It figured that this would happen today. She'd been looking forward to class, considering the week she'd been through. Not just one, but two office parties at Adam's business, plus their housekeeper had quit, so she'd spent several days interviewing replacements. All in all, she needed a break, and her Friday morning art class usually did the trick._

 _So after a miserable week, she wasn't in the best mood to travel all the way across the city to find out her professor cancelled class without letting anyone know. She could have stayed there, maybe shopped some or gotten lunch at a restaurant, but her heart just wasn't in it. She headed back to the apartment, cursing her bad luck._

 _Anna slowly made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She sat down on couch, but didn't bother to turn on the TV. Nothing good was on this time of day, and she had no interest in putting in a movie right now. She needed to do something today, make it not a total loss. Maybe after her coffee, she could go to the park. It was a pretty nice day, and she might be able to salvage something after all. She'd already done several sketches there, and could usually find something to inspire her._

 _She shuffled towards the bedroom when a noise stopped her. She heard someone moving rapidly in there, and Adam was supposed to be at work. She pulled out her phone and got ready to dial 911. Her heart hammered in her chest as she tiptoed towards the door..._

 _Anna didn't know why she'd been so surprised. They'd been drifting apart for years now, with Adam spending most of his time at work. The scattered clothes as well as the unmade bed, along with Adam's look of guilt made it very obvious what was going on. The quiet noises coming from the closet told her where his slut was hiding._

 _"Anna..." Adam was wearing only a towel, and the way he tried to cover as much of himself as he could broadcast his shame. "It's not what it looks like."_

 _"I should have known." Anna growled. "Who is it?"_

 _"Anna!" A desperate note entered his voice._

 _She stomped over to the closet and slammed it open. Once again, she probably should have guessed, but seeing Belle was still a shock. The other woman was a few years older than either of them, and she'd worked at the company since Adam's father had owned it. She was one of the few women at the business who Anna considered to be sort of a friend. She'd been a regular guest with them for some time now, though lately there had been an odd tension between her and Anna, and now Anna knew why._

 _It was all so clear now. The 'late meetings', the cancelled weekend plans to deal with problems that suddenly cropped up, the lack of interest he'd had in her lately, all of it._

 _"Her?" Anna's voice was calm, barely hinting at the rage seething inside her. "God, Adam, no wonder you're always 'busy' these days."_

 _"It was a mistake, Anna." He pleaded._

 _"A mistake? 'Whoops, she was over to visit and I tripped on top of her naked?' " She sneered. " 'Oops, I forgot to mention I was taking the day off to bang my assistant?' "_

 _She stormed over to her dresser and started pulling clothes out. She grabbed her suitcase from the closet, pointedly ignoring Belle who was trying to dress in one corner of the room. Hans reached out and tried to hold her hand, but she recoiled from him. "What are you doing Anna?"_

 _"Leaving." She bit out._

 _"I'm so sorry, Anna. It won't happen again, I swear." He moved again to stop her, stepping between her and the door._

 _"Get out of my way, Adam." Anna pushed past him and slammed the door behind herself. She stormed to the elevator and hammered the door close button. Once she was sealed away, she chose the parking garage. She rarely drove these days, but she did have her own car, a luxury Adam insisted on. The irony of using that car to get away from him now didn't escape her. She stowed her bag in the trunk and drove off, no clear destination in mind. She kept going until she left the city and headed northeast. Her mother was in Boston, and while Adam might guess that she'd go there, he probably wouldn't follow her. Her mother had never liked him all that much, and he'd returned the feeling. She decided to go there, at least as a start._

 _Anna let the miles fly by, her mind racing as she drove. What she needed most of all was time. She pulled her phone from her purse and turned it off. Adam had already left several messages, but she had no intention of reading them, or listening to the voicemails he recorded either. Probably just more excuses or pleading._

 _It was starting to get dark when she parked in front of her mother's house in the suburbs. The lights were on, and she could see her mother's car parked in the garage. She fetched her suitcase from the trunk and locked the car, taking a deep breath before knocking._

 _"Anna! Good to see you!" Her mother enfolded her in a hug. Idunn stepped back and took in her face. "Oh god, what's wrong sweetie?"_

 _"Can I stay for a bit, Mom?" Anna buried her face on her mother's shoulders. Her voice was an unsteady whisper._

 _"Of course." Idunn helped her daughter inside, setting the suitcase down in the hallway. She guided Anna to the couch, settling her there while she dashed to the kitchen to put on some hot water. She sat down next to her daughter. "What happened?"_

 _"Adam..." Anna started, cutting herself off with a hiccuping sob. "He... He..."_

 _"Anna, take your time. You don't have to talk until you're ready. I'll get the guest room ready, but in the meantime, how about some hot chocolate?" She gave her daughter a comforting smile._

 _"I'm not five, Mom." She managed a weak grin._

 _"Or ten, or fifteen, or twenty... If you ever quit chocolate, Hershey's would probably go out of business." Idunn hugged her again. "So let's get some sugar in you and then get you a good night's sleep, and we'll talk in the morning."_

 _Anna barely remembered going to bed, but once there, she'd slept deeply, not waking until well past ten. She yawned and stretched, crawling out of bed. She could smell the lingering aroma of breakfast drifting from the kitchen. Waffles, eggs, coffee, sausage... Her mother's cooking was always amazing, and from the scent, she could tell that Idunn had waited until she heard her waking up before getting it all ready._

 _"Hey Sunflower, don't drool on the floor, get some food." Idunn gestured towards the stove with her spatula. Anna didn't need a second invitation before grabbing a plate and piling on plenty of everything. She sat at the table, noting the cup of coffee at the place opposite from her. Apparently her mother was serious when she said they were going to be talking this morning. She surrendered to the inevitable and tried to concentrate on enjoying the food._

 _"Okay, now that we've filled the bottomless pit a little, how about you tell me exactly what you're doing here?" Idunn pinned her in her seat with her gaze. "What did Adam do this time?"_

 _"He... it's over, Mom." Anna couldn't think of an easy way to put it. "My class got cancelled and I got home, and he... with her..." She collapsed back in her chair. Her eyes watered up. "God, I feel so stupid!"_

 _"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry." Her mother hugged her. "You can stay as long as you need. And you're not stupid."_

 _"But I should have seen it coming." Anna cried. "I just let him lie to me over and over and over again. All those late meetings and work emergencies..." The rest of the details spilled out of her without any control. It was like she was watching herself recite the story from outside her body. Her mother simply listened, not judging or interrupting her. "...and I just couldn't stay. I had to get away, get some room to breathe."_

 _"Oh Anna." Idunn held her, rocking her softly. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Sunflower. You don't deserve this."_

 _"He... I thought we loved each other." She hiccuped. "I know we had our problems, but I never thought... Oh god..."_

 _"Anna, it's not your fault, at all. You did your best." Her mother comforted her. "You're a good person, you want to believe the best about everyone else too."_

 _"What do I do, Mom?" Anna sighed._

 _"Well, first you're going to be a guest here for a few more days before you make any decisions." Idunn replied firmly. "You need perspective and rest."_

 _Anna spent the next few days helping her mother around the house and getting a handle on everything that had happened. Her mother flat out refused to take any calls from Adam, and Anna was grateful for her interference. The older woman was right, space and time helped. Well, space, time and really good food. Idunn's all-purpose remedy of food worked wonders for her._

 _"Ready to face the real world, Sunflower?" Her mother asked as she helped Anna pack her bag._

 _"Yeah, thanks for all the help, Mom. It's time to deal with this." Anna snapped the latches closed. "I have to go back."_

 _"You've figured out what you want to do?" Idunn sat on the bed, smiling proudly at her daughter._

 _"Yes, something I probably should have done a while ago." She nodded firmly. "It's time I live my own life. On my terms, no one else's."_

 _It was hard, but she managed to remain strong on her return to New York. Adam looked like a deer in headlights when she presented him with the divorce papers. She tried to keep things civil between them, but after catching him in bed with Belle had sort of been the last straw, and her temper boiled over. All the small insults and discomfort she'd had to put up with over the years spilled out of her and things rapidly turned ugly between them. She couldn't believe how many thing's he'd been blind to and it really pissed her off._

 _The proceedings worked out in her favor of course, but she took little joy in it. Once it was all done, she finalized the details of her move to Seattle, wanting, needing, a fresh start. Her mother had lobbied for Boston, but she was firm in her resolve. She promised she'd visit much more than she had before, and Idunn promised the same._

* * *

Anna had nearly hit the end of her patience. She still needed to find a decent apartment, otherwise she'd run through her money and end up back in Boston, and she wasn't sure she could handle that right now. She pulled up the newest list on her phone, checking the next appointment. With little hope, she found the building and walked in.

The building impressed her at first, but she'd been through that before. The landlady was polite, but again, been there, done that. Anna followed her to the elevator, noting the nice condition of everything, including the laundry room. The elevator ride was swift, carrying them to the third floor. 319 proved to be a corner apartment, with a small balcony and plenty of sunlight. Better yet, it came already furnished.

It was a little more a month that she preferred, but she could live with it, as the apartment also included parking. She signed the lease happily and checked out of her hotel, eager to settle into her new home. She called Idunn, sharing the good news as well as plenty of pictures. Her mother was so happy for her and promised to visit as soon as she could.

Anna let her elated mood carry her through the next week. Her coworkers noticed her good mood and were happy for her. Ariel, the only other woman close to her own age in the art restoration department, dragged the happy news from her over lunch on Monday.

"... now I'm jealous!" The other redhead smiled at her over her sandwich. "If you ever want a roommate, I'd so move in with you."

"Did I mention the covered parking?" Anna winked at her.

"So jealous..." Ariel finished her sandwich. "Seriously Anna, I'm happy for you. It sounds fantastic, and I think you deserve a little fantastic in your life now."

"Thanks." Anna polised off her own sandwich. "How about you? Any 'fantastic' going on with you and Eric?"

"Ugh, I don't know how he can be so dense. I mean, it's not like I've been exactly suble about this whole thing. He needs to get with the program." The other redhead complained. "Trust me, I'm more than ready for some 'fantastic'."

"Men are idiots?" She shrugged at her friend. "What? Bitter divorcee here, I think I'm allowed to play that card for at least a year."

"Yeah, yeah, but you're still coming out with me this weekend to celebrate. And you're allowed to have a good time too." Ariel's tone brooked no argument.

"Okay, I give, I'll be there with you." Anna surrendered. "But same rules as last time, you try to set me up with anyone and I give your mom your new cell number."

"Mean." The other woman grinned.

"Just protecting myself. I don't want a repeat of the first time." She twirled one of her braids. "I'm not ready yet, Ari. I think... I think I need some time to learn about me, what I want, okay?"

"Yeah, I get that. I just don't want to see you shut yourself away, Anna. You're the only interesting thing at work anymore." Ariel smiled. "I want to see you happy."

"I _am_ happy." Anna smiled sincerely. "I have a job I love, a great place to live, friends... for the first time in forever I'm free to be _me_ , and it's pretty awesome."

"Fine, when you put it like that, it makes it really hard to try to mess with you." Ariel laughed softly. "I'll even cover lunch today, since I know you're pretty much broke from the security deposit. But don't think this means you get to weasel out of this weekend."

"I know better than that, Ari." She paused. "So what is the plan?"

"Local art faire. Tons of cheap stuff and new artists. Plus the usual 'horribly bad for you but tastes incredible' fair food, local bands, and I'm still trying to decide between a new tattoo or a new piercing." The other redhead grinned at Anna's perplexed expression. "Still not sure where."

"No." Anna stated, adamant.

"I didn't even ask you anything yet." Ariel complained.

"You want me to get something pierced or tattooed or... or... something! Not gonna happen." She clarified. "I'm so not interested in that at all."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to embrace the new you and all."

"Embrace, not perforate."

"Chicken."

"Look, I'll go with you, but that's it." Anna stood up. "It does sound like fun - the fair, not the getting a needle jabbed in you. I think I'm actually looking forward to this."

* * *

Anna followed Ariel into the park, a little overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the 'small local' faire. Clearly Ariel had different definitions of 'small' and 'local' than she did. The other redhead led them expertly through the crowd, heading for a stage near the river where a band was setting up. From what she could see, they wouldn't be ready soon, but Ariel appeared to want to get a good spot early.

"Tell me we're not just here for the free music." Anna asked when they finally stopped.

"That's just a perk - my friend Mulan's band is back in town and I want to catch her show. It's the first time she's been back in a while, so I don't wanna miss it." Ariel smiled as she kept her attention on the stage.

"Ah, that's cool." Anna gazed at the stage. "Is that her?"

"Yeah, she sings and her boyfriend plays the drums. Total cliche, but what can ya do?" She shrugged. "They're totally sappy together, but it's nice to see someone who's actually happily coupled up and all."

" _Firework Dragon Explosion?_ " Anna squinted and read the name on the drum.

"Uh huh, apparently there was a lot of beer involved in that decision." Ariel made a face. "Beer and some leftover Mongolian food that had been sitting out a bit too long."

"Been there, done that." Anna shuddered dramatically as she remembered some of the more... colorful meals she'd had back in college. "So glad I can afford real food now."

"Amen, sister." The other redhead looked unusually thoughtful. "I get jealous of her sometimes, but I gotta say that mostly I'm just glad I don't live in a van for half the year. I think I'd go crazy if I had to."

"You? Go crazy? How would we even tell the difference?" Anna smirked.

"Shut it or you're not getting a ride to IKEA next weekend." Ariel threatened.

"You know I have my own car." She sulked.

"Yeah, but if you want to take advantage of my pickup..." Her friend grinned triumphantly as Anna's face fell.

"I'll be good." She surrendered.

The band started warming up, and the two women turned their attention to the stage. Anna, despite still a little irked at first that her friend had ambushed her with the concert, wound up enjoying the show far more than she expected. Mulan's band played a full hour and more, a mix of original songs and some covers. Ariel had to nudge her, laughing at how caught up in the show she got. The shorter girl led them back behind the stage to the makeshift dressing room. She knocked on the door and was greeted to a muffled ' _Come in!_ '

Ariel barged in and introduced Anna to Mulan. She immediately liked the other girl, and soon found herself exchanging stories with her. After a while, Mulan's boyfriend Shang knocked and joined them too, and the four of them decided to get some lunch here at the faire before catching the afternoon show.

After lunch they split up for a little bit. Ariel wanted to call Eric - Anna still didn't know him all that well, but her friend apparently wanted to give him another chance and from what little she _did_ know, the other redhead would be talking with him for quite a while. Meanwhile, Mulan and Shang were loading their guitars and other equipment back into their van. Anna had offered to help, but they'd declined, their looks making it clear that they wanted a little alone time. So Anna found herself wandering the aisles aimlessly while she waited for Ariel to get off the phone.

Several local stores had booths set up in this section, she saw. She browsed a few of them, not really finding anything she wanted for the apartment. She liked most of the furnishings, and the trip to IKEA should fill out the few gaps, but she wanted some more decoration. Something to really make the place _hers_. Something like...

Anna stopped in front of one of the booths, her gaze locked on an old oil painting resting forlornly on a stand in the rear corner. It was a winter landscape, all snow-covered trees and gently rolling hills of white. An iced over river snaked its way across one clearing while a tall mountain loomed in the distance. Dark clouds hung on the horizon, threatening to bring more snow.

The piece was untitled and no artist was listed. Anna couldn't place the style either. She walked over to the man running the booth. "Oh, that one? Not sure. It's been in the shop since my dad was in charge, and he never said where he got it. No one's ever bought it, though I still bring it with everything else."

"It's... I like it." Her attention returned to the old painting. "How much for it?"

"Dad never listed a price for it, but I'll say fifty. Nice to see someone interested in it for a change." He followed her gaze to where the painting rested. "Should I wrap it up for you?"

Anna gulped but ultimately nodded and dug out her cash. Fifty would pretty much wipe out what little money she had left until her next paycheck, but something about the piece drew her, and she knew she wanted it for her new home. She handed over the bills, already regretting her impulsive decision a little.

"What did you get?" Ariel's voice called her back from her musings.

"Oh hey, Ari." Anna pointed to the corner, where the owner. "I found one for my place."

Ariel took a closer look at the painting. "Kinda boring, don't ya think? And who's the artist? I don't think I can recognize the style."

"I like it." She replied. "It's... I dunno, it speaks to me."

"It's a bit dark, with the storm and all." Her friend shrugged. "But whatever, if it works for you, go for it. Better than having nothing to decorate with."

They got the painting back to Anna's car and met up with Mulan and Shang, and the four of them claimed a nice spot for the afternoon show. Anna was probably biased, but the rest of the bands weren't as good as her new friends, though they did have a good time anyway. When evening rolled around, Mulan and Shang split off to get dinner with the rest of their band. They promised to meet up with Anna and Ariel again tomorrow after their show.

Ariel went back with Anna, to help her get the painting safely up to her apartment and mount it. Anna finally settled on putting it on her bedroom wall after the other redhead got tired of holding it up in various spots for her to consider. Once she was satisfied, they ordered some pizza and hung out for a bit.

"Meet you tomorrow at nine?" Ariel asked her and she nodded.

"Yeah, sounds good." Anna confirmed. She waved goodbye to her friend and went back to her bedroom. She paused, looking at the painting again before changing into more comfortable clothes. After that, Anna decided to call her mother and update her on how the new apartment was going.

"... I just got a nice landscape painting for my bedroom and Ariel and I are going to IKEA next weekend to get a computer desk and maybe some other stuff, so yeah, this place is really starting to look great!"

" _I'm glad everything is working out for you, Sunflower. It's really good to hear you happy again. It's been far too long._ " She could hear Idunn's smile. " _Is it still okay for me to visit next month?_ "

"Of course, yeah!" Anna confirmed. "I can't wait to show you the place! And I gotta show you my new job and have you meet Ariel and -"

" _Anna, Anna_." Her mother laughed. " _Chill. We have a month to plan everything out, we don't have to do it right now. Anyway, It's really late here, so why don't I call you later in the week? You can tell me about the rest of the art faire._ "

" 'Kay, sounds good." She held back a yawn of her own - it had been a long day and she'd gotten up extra early for the faire. "Take care, Mom, I love you."

" _Love you too, Sunflower. Goodbye_."

"Bye." They hung up and Anna plugged the phone into the charger. She took a quick shower and laid out everything for tomorrow. She looked out at the night sky from her balcony for a while then decided she really should get to bed. She pulled back the covers and crawled in after making sure her alarm was set.

Anna drifted off to sleep, warm and happy...

* * *

... and spat out a mouthful of snow as she turned her face, blinking at the sudden glint of the sun stabbing into her eyes. A cold wind bit into her, her pyjamas doing little to block it. She could already feel some water seeping through, soaking the clothes.

"What the hell?" Anna pushed herself up, her hands pressing into the snow. "I've gotta be dreaming or something."

She got to her feet, doing her best to ignore the chill sinking into her socks too. She looked around, not recognizing any of her surroundings at all. Tall evergreen trees covered in snow dominated the landscape. Unfamiliar mountains were visible over the tops of the trees, and they too were snowcapped. "Okay, points for realism, but I'm taking some off for 'what the hell?' "

The redhead could feel her toes already starting to get cold. She looked around again but couldn't spot a road or building or anything. Not even a stray electric line. "Right, so what now?"

The wind picked up, and Anna knew she couldn't stay here much longer without risking frostbite. _Can I even get frostbite in a dream? No idea, but I'd rather not find out._ She tried to find something, anything to orient herself, but with the sun overhead and no landmarks she could identify, she had no way to know where she was. _I guess since I'm lost, one way is as good as another. Maybe if I run into something, this dream will start making sense._ She picked the tallest of the mountains and started walking.

She felt a bit warmer as she walked but she knew that would only last so long. If she didn't find shelter soon, she'd be in real trouble. _Or at least as much trouble as you can get into in a dream_. Every time she reached a clearing, she checked for any sign of civilization, but she had no luck. When she tripped over yet another tree root, she decided enough was enough.

"Screw this." Anna growled. "Okay dream, I've had enough. I've played along so far, so let's get to the point already! Change or end or whatever!"

She waited impatiently for the dream to... do something, but nothing happened. The only change she noticed was that her toes were really, _really_ cold. Like even colder than before. She sighed. This crazy-ass dream made no sense whatsoever.

It was only when the wind died down a little that she heard the faint crunch of the crust of snow breaking from somewhere behind her. _Ohhhkay, when I said I wanted something to happen, I didn't mean something creepy_. Anna hurried towards the nearest tree, putting its bulk between herself and the direction the sounds had come from. More crunches followed at a pace that was too deliberate to be anything other than someone or something hunting her.

"Vent, vennligst slutte å kjøre!" A man's voice called out from behind her.

 _Oh crap!_ Anna didn't understand what whoever it was that was chasing her said, but it was clear he knew she was here and was after her. _This is like the start of every horror movie ever!_

"Det skaern advarte meg at du're i fare. Jeg trenger å komme deg til henne før det's for sent." The voice was closer to her. Anna did her best to remain absolutely still. Her heart hammered in her chest as the footsteps drew near. "Vennligst, kommet ut. Vi trenger å få ut av skogen før mørket. Det's en storm som kommer."

A man in a fur coat stepped out from around the tree and Anna jumped. He held his hands out in an unthreatening gesture. She gulped and prepared to bolt, but he simply stood still, smiling at her. He looked to be in his fifties and had a warm presence about him. "Mitt navn er Kai." He thumped his chest. Then he set his pack on the ground and dug out a fur coat and some boots and held them out towards her "Min kone Gerda sendt meg å hjelpe deg. Hun sa du'd trenger disse."

"Kai?" Anna guessed from the gesture that he'd introduced himself. He nodded. She pointed at herself. "Anna." Another nod, along with a smile. "Are those for me?"

He didn't seem to understand her any better than she did him, but he held the coat out for her again. When she'd put on the coat and boots, he picked his pack up and slung it on his back. "Følg meg. Vi're ikke altfor langt fra hjemmet."

"Follow you?" He nodded. "Okay, I guess I don't really have a better option."

They set out, making much better time now that Anna had proper footwear as well as a guide. Kai led them through the woods, and soon she found herself on a worn trail leading towards one of the nearby hills. After about an hour, they emerged from the woods on the edge of a small clearing. A large, well-maintained wooden house dominated one side of the space. A second building - probably a barn, Anna guessed - was next to it.

A woman who looked to be about the same age as Kai was waiting in front of the door of the house. She smiled at the sight of them and strode out to embrace Kai. _I guess that's his wife_. The woman turned her attention to Anna, her smile fading as she examined the redhead. She frowned and turned back to Kai. "Dette er ikke bra. Jeg'm ikke sikker på at hun kan hjelpe oss."

"Jeg gikk til der du fortalte meg til. Hun var akkurat der du sa hun'd være." Kai replied.

"Um... is something wrong?" Anna spoke up, earning herself a frown.

The old woman sighed at the interruption and kept talking to her husband. "Denne stav var vår siste, beste håp. Fimbulvetr kommer. Dette... jente er ikke sterk nok til å håndtere det."

"Du alltid fortelle meg at det er andre styrker utover ferdigheter på armene. Hvis hun er hva vi har å jobbe med, vi'll har bare å trene henne." Kai pointed at Anna.

"Jeg liker ikke dette, men du're høyre." The old woman faced Anna and bowed stiffly. "Jeg er Gerda, en sjaman. Jeg ønsker deg velkommen til mitt hjem."

"Uh, I'm Anna." She did her best to return the bow, aware that she probably wasn't doing it right.

"Kommer i, er det mye å gjøre og altfor lite tid." Gerda opened the door and entered the hut, and Kai gestured for Anna to follow. Once inside, out of the cold, Anna breathed a sigh of relief. A cheery fire danced in the stone fireplace along the back wall. A pot bubbled over the fire, and the aroma wafting from it smelled delicious. Anna's stomach growled, reminding her that she'd been stuck in this damn dream for hours now.

 _I don't remember ever getting hungry in a dream before._ Anna frowned. Nothing in this dream made any sense. It was at once both the most realistic and weirdest dream she'd had. Not to mention, she didn't seem to be waking up...

"Can one of you two please explain what the hell is going on?" She asked plaintively.

Gerda ignored her question, busying herself at a shelf that was full of bottles of various sizes. She picked several and brought them to a small table next to the fireplace. She started mixing them in a bowl. Kai led Anna to a larger table on the other side of the fire and fetched her a bowl of stew from the cooking pot. Anna sniffed it. _Venison?_ She shrugged. Why not? It made as much sense as anything else in this crazy dream.

She sighed happily at the first bite. It was delicious and filling. It wasn't long before the bowl was empty and she was wanting more. By that time, Gerda had finished with whatever she was working on and walked over towards Anna. She held out a small cup that was filled with a dark green liquid that smelled bitter. Anna recoiled. "No thanks, I'm not thirsty."

"Drikke." The old woman told her.

"Fine, whatever." Anna shrugged. _At least something is finally happening in this damn dream, so why not?_ She raised the cup to her lips and took a sip. She choked and slammed the cup down on the table, the majority of the liquid still in it. "Ugh, nasty! I'm not drinking that!"

"Drikke det alle. Du trenger en anchor slik at du kan komme tilbake hit." Gerda replied firmly. The look she gave Anna was the same as the one her mother used to give her when she was young and didn't want to take her medicine.

Anna sighed and screwed up her courage, downing the concoction in one quick gulp. Drinking it quickly didn't help that much. A bitter aftertaste left her spooning the last drops of the stew from the bowl so she could get rid of the taste. "What was that for?"

Gerda was still in front of her, and Anna noticed the old woman was chanting in a different language than the one she'd spoken earlier. She took a slim, ornate bracelet off her wrist and slid it onto Anna's. Once that was done, she placed her hands on Anna's temples, staring into her eyes -

* * *

Anna jerked awake.

For a while, she merely lay there, tangled up in the sheets, her heart beating rapidly and her breathing short and shallow. _What the hell was with that dream? At the end there, that weird woman was chanting and then..._ Anna rubbed her temples, still feeling some pain from where the woman held her head, even though she was awake now. It had been brief, but just before she woke up, a searing flash of pain had shot through her head, starting from where Gerda held her. Like the worst headache ever.

Anna moaned and sat up, making a beeline for the bathroom and her asprin. It helped some, but she soon found herself back in bed. At least she didn't have to work today. All she wanted to do was lay here and relax until she felt better. She crawled under the sheets, hugging herself as she tried to get comfortable.

Her eyes popped open as something cool and metallic brushed across her skin when she crossed her arms. She held up her left arm, staring at the slim gold bracelet adorning her wrist. The same bracelet as from her dream, a bracelet she'd never seen before then.

"What the hell?"

* * *

 _Next Chapter: Anna gets some answers, even if they don't make much sense to her._

* * *

 _A/N 4: I've been working on this one for a while now, and finally got around to finishing the first chapter. I'll be starting on 2 soon enough._

 _A/N 5: Possible spoilers for later: (small) Spoiler warning!_

 _For those who are curious, here's a rough translation of what Kai and Gerda said._

 _Kai - Wait, please stop running!_

 _Kai - The shaman warned me that you're in danger. I need to bring you to her before it's too late._

 _Kai - Please, come out. We need to get out of the woods before dark. There's a storm coming._

 _Kai - My name is Kai. My wife Gerda sent me to help you. She said you'd need these_.

 _Kai - Follow me. We're not too far from home._

 _Gerda - This is not good. I'm not sure she can help us._

 _Kai - I went to where you told me to. She was right where you said she'd be._

 _Gerda - This spell was our last, best hope. Fimbulwinter is coming. This... girl is not strong enough to deal with it._

 _Kai - You always tell me that there are other strengths beyond skill at arms. If she is what we have to work with, we'll just have to train her._

 _Gerda - I don't like this, but you're right. I am Gerda, a shaman. I welcome you to my home._

 _Gerda - Come in, there is much to do and far too little time._

 _Gerda - Drink._

 _Gerda - Drink it all. You need an anchor so you can return here._

 _Also, I'm aware that the translation isn't the best, but it's the best I could do at the moment. If anyone is interested in helping, please PM me!_


	2. Ch 02 - What's Going On?

**Winter's Mirror**

 **Chapter 02**

What's going on?

Anna sat at her breakfast table, her eyes locked on the golden bracelet still on her wrist. At some point she'd managed to dress herself, but she honestly had no recollection of doing so. Small details like that had been pushed aside in favor of ' _what the fuck_?' Because there was no way that she could be wearing this bracelet, a bracelet that she never bought. Because if she was, that meant it came from that weird dream. And that...

"Yeah, no, I'm not crazy." She absently twisted it, her gaze tracing the delicate links. "There has to be a rational explanation for this. Probably some practical joke Ariel set up."

She tugged it, but she couldn't find a clasp. She had no idea how Gerda had gotten it on her wrist in the first place, but it didn't seem like the bracelet was coming off without using power tools or something. "Or maybe it's the jewelry mafia. I offended them somehow and this is their version of a horse head. Or ninjas. It's probably ninjas."

Anna jumped when her phone went off, cursing as her tea soaked her shirt. She checked and saw that Ariel was messaging her, then cursed when she saw what time it was. "Oh hell, I'm late."

Ten hurried minutes later, she was dashing out the door to meet her friend. The other redhead glared at her. "What the hell, Anna?"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Anna's shoulders sank under her friend's gaze.

"You know, I figured you'd be late, but almost an hour?" Ariel rolled her eyes. "And you look like hell by the way. Did you just roll out of bed or something?"

"I... uh, did you... um... never mind." There was just no way to ask without seeming like she was crazy. And besides, a large part of her really didn't want to know the answer, because she was afraid of what her friend might say. If Ariel really didn't have anything to do with the bracelet... She shook her head. She didn't want to go down that rabbit hole. Hell no.

"Yeah, whatever. Now let's get to the faire. I'm not gonna miss Mulan's show." Ariel practically shoved her into the car.

For a little while, Anna was able to forget about the bracelet, as she figured that considering how Ariel was driving, she might not live long enough for it to mean anything anyway.

"Ariel, slow down!"

"Truck! _Truck_!"

"Oh god, why are we on the sidewalk?!"

When they finally parked, Anna opened the door and staggered out of the pickup. "Oh god, I thought I was gonna die."

"Wimp." Ariel sniffed. "We weren't going that fast."

"Good thing those pedestrians moved fast too." She replied. "How you managed to miss them, I'll never know."

"Eh, they made it out fine, so what're you whining about." The other redhead shrugged. "Besides, we're here now, _and_ we made it in time. And next time, don't be so damn late and I won't have to drive so fast."

"Sorry." Anna glanced down at her wrist then raised her eyes before Ariel could notice. If Ariel hadn't said anything yet, then she obviously wasn't the one behind... whatever that dream had been. And if she wasn't, Anna didn't need this getting any more complicated than it already was. If it wasn't a joke, then it was just something weird, like she'd forgotten she'd bought the bracelet. And if that was the case, the sooner she put this behind herself, the better.

Anna managed to push the issue of the bracelet out of her mind during the show, and after, they ended up meeting Mulan and Shang for lunch. The rest of the day flew by as Anna lost herself in enjoying the company of her friends. She even browsed a few of the stalls, but she didn't buy anything, preferring to save her money for now.

"Set your alarm Anna. You don't want to be late tomorrow. You know how Weaseltown gets about stuff like this." Ariel reminded her when she dropped her off after the faire.

"Yeah, I will. Seeya tomorrow Ari." She waved.

"Night, Anna."

After a quick shower, Anna made sure to set her alarm clock. She even dug out a backup and set that one too. Ariel had a point. The last thing she wanted to do was give Dr Weselton and his horrid hairpiece the excuse to lecture her. She was secretly afraid that one day she'd laugh at the wrong time and he'd fire her and... yeah, not happening.

Anna glared at the bracelet as she crawled under the blankets. "This is your fault somehow. Stupid jewelry mafia ninjas." She yawned. "I'll figure out where I bought you tomorrow, then this nonsense can stop."

She yawned again as she drifted off to sleep. "Tomorrow..."

* * *

Birds were singing somewhere close by.

Loudly.

Anna muttered a curse and twisted herself under the covers as she tried to get back to sleep. No snow and she was still in bed, so whatever had happened the other night really had been just a weird dream. So of course, she wouldn't be allowed to sleep in. She tugged the furs tighter around herself, hoping that she could drift back to...

... _furs?_

"You have to be kidding me!" Her eyes popped open. "Not this again!"

Sure enough, she found herself in the hut from the dream last night. The old woman... Gerda... was setting a bowl of food on the table when she noticed Anna's movement. She waved towards the redhead, beconing her over for some breakfast. Anna ignored the delicious smell in favor of glaring at the older woman. This had to be some kind of joke or coincidence or... or... or... It just wasn't possible!

"Okay, officially not funny." Anna growled. "What the hell is this? What's going on?"

The old woman's mouth thinned and she pointed at the waiting chair and meal once more. "Sitte og spise, du're trenger din styrke."

"Look, Gerda or whatever your name is, I can't understand you and I'm not doing this again." She crossed her arms. "I want to go back to a normal dream. I'm not going to play along any more."

Gerda clearly understood as little of what she was saying, but Anna's attitude apparently got through, because she frowned and pointed at the chair firmly and repeated her statement.

"Nope, not gonna happen." Anna sat on the bed, refusing to move.

"Veldig godt. Dette vil være enklere hvis du samarbeide, men vi har ikke noe valg." Gerda walked over to a shelf, fetching down several small glass vials. She poured the contents of one into the cup sitting by the plate and brought it over to Anna. "Drikke."

"I am _not_ drinking that." She recoiled from the proffered cup.

"Drikke." The other woman repeated, in a firmer tone.

"No."

The older woman sighed and set the cup back on the table. "Hvis du er hva ble sendt når jeg ba om hjelp, gudene må virkelig være å straffe meg."

"Look, this is just too weird. Normally dreams have a point or at least a reason behind them. I still don't understand what is up with this one." She watched the other woman as pulled a small book from the shelf and sat down to begin reading. "Hello, this is _my_ dream, you could at least pay attention to me when I'm rambling."

Gerda continued to ignore the redhead and focus on her reading. Finally Anna couldn't take it anymore. She stormed over to the other woman. "Okay, fine, just tell me what's the point of all this, because apparently I can't figure it out on my own. Please, tell me what's going on."

Gerda looked up from her book and glanced back at the table where the cup rested next to the cooling food. She turned her gaze back to Anna and raised an eyebrow significantly. Anna groaned. "Figures."

She picked up the cup, recoiling slightly from the smell. "I must be crazy." She raised it to her lips and downed it. The drink burned her throat and sent her staggering, gasping. "That is nasty!"

Her vision swam and her knees buckled. Blackness tugged at her sight and she collapsed to the ground...

* * *

Anna woke up, barely noticing that she was in her own bed this time. She rushed to the bathroom and spent the next few minutes throwing up everything she'd eaten in the past day. When she finished, she brushed her teeth several times, doing her best to get the taste out of her mouth. "Holy hell, that was horrid."

She had just about finished when her stomach twisted again, sending her back into the bathroom. Ten agonizing minutes later, it finally seemed to be over and she once again cleaned herself up. "Okay, new rule: no drinking potions from crazy ladies in dreams."

Breakfast didn't seem appealing at all to her, but she managed to down a cup of hot chocolate and piece of toast. After that, she took another shower. When she was done, she looked out the window. The sun was barely visible, and Anna considered that to be the only good thing from this whole awful morning. At least she wouldn't be late to work today.

She considered the bracelet still on her wrist and what had happened this morning. Clearly, something very weird was going on. She needed figure out what these dreams meant and why they seemed so real. And she needed to do that without seeming crazy.

Ariel was surprised to see Anna in the office when she arrived, as it was the first time she'd made it in before her friend. "Uh, Anna, you okay?"

"Super weird dream last night, Ari." At least that was the truth, if not all the truth.

"Well, you still look kinda out of it." The other redhead poured herself a cup of coffee. She was about to ask for more details, but Anna was saved by Dr Weselton's arrival. Her boss greeted them both and then retreated hastily to his office when his toupee started to slip. The two redheads smothered giggles at his departure.

"I have no idea how that thing stays on." Anna got out around a laugh.

"Velcro." Ariel told her.

"Oh. My. God..." Anna lost it. Eventually she composed herself somewhat, enough to talk semi normally at any rate. "Velcro. That... just wow..."

"You should have been here last year. We were having an office party and it fell off in front of everyone when he was cutting the cake. Landed right in the frosting." Ariel smirked.

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure there's still a vid of it somewhere."

"I so want to see that."

"If you really want a funny one, you should see the one of him dancing at the holiday party." Ariel grinned. "Some people should never, ever be allowed to dance."

The morning passed quickly and Anna had little trouble pushing the dream and the bad start to her day out of her thoughts. She was able to lose herself in her work and the company of her friend. Even better, by the time noon rolled around Ariel had forgotten Anna's comment about the dream, so lunch was pleasant as well.

The end of the day found a happy Anna relaxing on her couch with takeout while she absently browsed on her laptop. She'd managed to go from a horrible start of the day to a good finish. She smiled. Maybe she couldn't control her weird dreams, but she could choose the rest of her life, and she wasn't going to let a little strangeness get in the way of her new life here.

* * *

"Damn it." Anna had no sooner gone to sleep than she'd found herself back here, in the same damn fur covered bed, in the same damn hut, in the same damn dream. "Why does this keep happening? Why?!"

She glared at Gerda, who had obviously been expecting her again. "I'm not playing along tonight. So you can keep your weird tasting potions and other crap to yourself, because I'm just gonna sit here until I wake up. I've really had enough of this stupid dream."

"This is no dream, girl." Gerda smiled at Anna's shock. "And if you think I will simply let you sit and do nothing, you are sadly mistaken."

"What - you - I - How!?" Anna sputtered. "I understood you? How is this possible?"

"My 'potion' that you drank yesterday. If you hadn't passed out, I would have explained it to you then." The older woman pointed to the table. "Now come eat, you're going to need it."

"Uh look, just because this dream is cooperating, that doesn't mean I will. All I want is for things to go back to normal, and this definitely not normal in any way." She declared.

"I want life to return to normal as well." Gerda sighed. "However, that seems unlikely. At least, not without a great deal of effort. And unfortunately for you, I spent the majority of my strength bringing you here. I will not have regained enough power to break the spell for months. So whether you like it or not, your fate is now tied to ours."

"Spell?" Anna rolled her eyes. "If you're trying to convince me that this is real, you might want a new approach. I mean, magic isn't real."

"Is it not?" The older woman smirked and held up a hand. A blue-green flame surrounded it, dancing across her skin without leaving any marks. After a few seconds of this, she closed her fist, snuffing out the flame.

"Uh..." The redhead gulped. "That's a trick or something! I've seen Vegas magicians do similar stunts."

"This is no stunt. If you were expecting more, as I said, my power is drained for the most part. Minor spells are about all I can manage for now." Gerda frowned and sat down on the bed next to Anna. "If you don't believe me yet, you will. You are anchored to this world now. You will keep returning here."

"I..."

"Further, this place is very real. What happens to you here will echo back to your own world. So treat this as just a dream at your own peril." The old woman told her seriously. "I cannot say what the full extent of the transfer is, but any harm you suffer here would have its reflection there."

"That's impossible." Anna replied dully as she considered the other woman's words. "This -"

"You were sick and passed out after drinking the potion yesterday. And when you awoke in your own world, I would wager you were sick there as well." Gerda's tone told her it wasn't a lucky guess, though she waited for Anna's reluctant nod anyway. "If something like that carries over, do you truly wish to risk greater harm?"

"Uh... no." When she managed to speak, her voice was small, weak. "Am I really going to keep coming back here?"

"Yes. Until I have the strength to break the spell, you will return here every time you go to sleep in your world."

"Why me?" That question seemed pretty relevant to her right about now.

"I asked the gods for aid. You were what was sent."

Anna couldn't help it, she collapsed back on the bed, laughing. "Me? You asked for help and you think I'm it?"

"Yes, you are not what I expected or hoped for, but you are what I have." Gerda sighed. "The gods must have a sense of humor. Still, if you are all that I have, then I will make do."

"Again, why?" Anna asked, frustrated. "What is so damn important that you had to go and mess up my life?"

Gerda walked over to a window and opened the shutter, pointing out to the landscape. "Look at the trees, the mountains, the ground. What do you see?"

"Not really sure what you want me to say, it looks like any other forest. I'm really a city girl at heart, so aside from it looking much cleaner than any winter forest I've seen, I can't really say." Anna peered out, trying to find something that might clue her in to Gerda's point.

"A forest during the winter, that is what you see?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She shrugged.

The older woman frowned. "It is only three days until the summer solstice."

"But..." Anna stared at the freshly fallen snow. "That much snow - how? I don't understand?"

Gerda shut the window and led Anna over to the table, and they both sat. "It is a long story, and not particularly pleasant. It starts with the fall of the kingdom. Three years ago, the last true High King was murdered, frozen in a pillar of ice and smashed to pieces. After his death, the jarls split the kingdom into many smaller ones, each fighting the others. It was only with the arrival of the Ice Queen that the infighting slowed. Now, the majority have banded together to oppose her."

"Ice queen?" Anna asked.

"Yes. We don't know who she is, only that she wields the powers of winter. It is clear that she brought this unnatural weather upon us, and it seems likely that she murdered the old king as well." Gerda shivered.

"You don't know her?"

"No. Some rumors say that she is the crown princess and that she killed her father so she could claim the throne. Others say that she is a foreign noble who was angered when the king refused her offer of marriage. We don't know much, as few manage to escape her territory. Monsters guard her borders, and that makes getting any information out problematic at best." The older woman went the shelf and retrieved a rolled sheet of parchment. She spread it out on the table and Anna saw that it was a map.

Gerda traced a line on the map with her finger, drawing a rough border between the top third of the country and the bottom. "Currently, her forces control almost a third of Arendelle. The jarls are holding the line, but it's getting harder every year. Our food supplies dwindle thanks to this unending winter."

"So... I still don't see what this has to do with me. It's not like I can really help with any of this. I mean, I'm an art major who restores old paintings for a living." Anna shrugged. "I could frame this map and make it look nice, but other than that, I'm not sure what I can do for you."

"The gods sent you to me for a reason. At least, that is what I have to believe." Gerda smiled wryly. "We'll just have to figure out what else you're good at. And why you were chosen."

* * *

Anna panted as she leaned against the tree, struggling to catch her breath. "Kai, stop..."

"Not much further, Anna. We're almost back home." The older man told her. She hadn't thought she was in poor shape, but an afternoon of running around the woods and hills after Kai had proved to be an entirely new form of humiliation. Worse, even though Kai had to be at least twenty years older than her, he easily outpaced her on nearly every exercise. "Gerda will be interested to know how you fared."

"I feel awful." She did her best to ignore the burning in her legs. "I didn't think 'finding out what my talents are' would involve so much running."

"We need to know your limits, so we can see how best to train you." Kai had looped back and waited patiently while Anna tried to get moving again.

"Yeah, well I think it's safe to say that this is definitely not one of my talents. Same with that tree climbing you had me try earlier. My butt still hurts from falling out of it." She staggered into motion once more. "You guys really should've gotten someone else."

"The gods sent us you, I choose to believe they had a good reason for that." He smiled. "And even if they didn't, I also believe that we can make our own fates. Now come on, we're nearly there."

Anna followed him, cursing this whole experience yet again. It was clear that this was no ordinary dream. Her dreams - those she could remember - had never lasted so long or been so detailed and thorough. She'd never felt so exhausted and worn out in one. _Take that away, and either I'm going crazy or this whole mess is real. I'm not sure which answer is worse._

The smell of cooking meat wafted from the cottage, giving Anna some encouragement for a final burst of speed. Once inside, she gratefully sat down at the table and started devouring the meal Gerda had ready for them. _Okay, this place can be real for the next fifteen minutes if it means I get to eat all of this! It tastes amazing_.

When she finished, the effort of the day caught up with her, and she yawned. She changed into a light sleeping robe Gerda provided for her and rapidly drifted off to sleep...

* * *

 _'beepbeepbeepbeepBEEPBEEPBEEPbeep'_

"Damn it." Anna muttered. Her muscles felt sore all over and her butt still hurt in the same spot she'd fallen out of the tree. Even worse, according to the alarm, she was probably going to be late. She tried to sit up but her aching body didn't want to cooperate. She let out a breath and reached for her phone instead. "Fuck it, days like this are what sick days are for."

(Un)Fortunately for her, Ariel was the only one in the office at that point, and while the other redhead had no problem relaying her absence to Dr Weselton, Anna just knew she'd be dropping by at some point. Which meant she needed to figure out just what to tell her friend that wouldn't sound totally insane.

"Hey Ari, I couldn't make it in because I had a dream where I was stuck running around a mountain at the request of a crazy witch who feeds me potions that make me throw up... Yeeeeeaaahhhh, no. That won't work." Anna shook her head.

She spent most of the day relaxing either in bed or on her couch. She still felt sore and worn out, but it faded to a dull ache as the day progressed. By the time dinner rolled around, she felt almost normal. Ariel called her just as she started her meal, asking how she was doing and apologizing for not stopping by. Apparently the museum was rotating in some new displays and Weselton held a meeting going over the schedule. Rather than curious about her absence, the other redhead sounded jealous that Anna had avoided having to suffer through it too.

Anna told Ariel that she'd probably be back in to work on the next day and finished her meal when the other redhead finally hung up. Lukewarm reheated chinese takeout wasn't exactly the greatest, but at that point Anna didn't feel like actually cooking something else, so leftovers it was. She watched some TV, but didn't pay too much attention to it. Mostly she tried to figure out what to tell Ari when she saw her...

* * *

"I don't know why I expected anything different after last night." Anna sighed as she sat up from under the furs of the bed. Once again, as soon as she'd gone to sleep in her own bed, she found herself here. Gerda had clearly expected her. A new set of clothes as well as a freshly cooked meal waited for her. She eyed the outfit sitting on the corner of the bed. It looked to be a soft wool of some sort, and the forest green of the top was just the right shade to complement her hair.

"You should eat, Kai has some more tests for you." Gerda told her around an amused grin.

"Great." Anna groaned. "More running?"

"Not today." She didn't like how the older woman's smile got wider...

* * *

"I'm gonna die!" Anna shrieked as Kai advanced on her yet again. She tried to huddle behind the shield the older man had provided her, but it proved to be little help. His sword easily slipped past, crashing down on her shoulder...

"Owww, damn it." She rubbed the bruised spot where the wooden blade had hit. "Seriously? Can't we just give up already? It's pretty clear I'm no good at this at all."

"Anna, you're no worse than many new trainees. Besides, I really do need to see what you need to work on most."

"I'm gonna go with 'everything'." She winced. "I'm terrible."

"That's enough rest. Get ready, we're going again." The older man raised his blade...

* * *

"For the record, I hate you both." Anna grumbled as she staggered into the cottage. She collapsed on the bed, exhaustion edging out the ache of the bruises she'd acquired during the day's testing. She desperately hoped that she was done with these crazy tests. "And I think I'll skip the food tonight, I hurt too much to eat."'

"Drink this then, it will help you recover." Gerda passed her a cup with a dark liquid in it. Like before, it smelled fairly awful.

"Ugh, no thanks." Anna recoiled.

"You should drink it." Kai said as he entered the hut and hung up the practice gear. "Gerda has gotten very good at that particular potion."

"I wouldn't have had to if you would take better care of yourself." Gerda snapped back, but the smile on her face took the bite out of the words. Anna did her best to squash the flare of jealousy that spiked up. _Why can't I have a relationship like that?_

"Fine..." She sighed and did her best to drink the liquid without tasting it. Her best wasn't quite good enough. "Bleagh!"

"You get used to it." Kai said. He watched as his wife went out to get some more water from the well.

"I didn't think it was possible, but it tastes worse than it smells." Her stomach lurched. Kai handed her a chunk of bread and a mug.

"Here, to get rid of the taste of it. Trust me, you should as soon as possible."

"Okay." Despite not really feeling like eating anything after the potion, Anna forced herself to eat the bread. Kai was right, it did help clear away the foul flavor of the drink. The mug also had a rich ale, and by the time she'd finished it, all remnants of the potion were gone. "Thanks Kai, that did help." She eyed the meal still waiting on the table for her. "I guess I could stand to eat some more."

"Probably for the best. You need to keep your strength up." He agreed. "Especially since tomorrow you'll be working with Gerda."

"Joy." She rolled her eyes. "What's that going to involve? Seeing which of her delightful mixtures make me vomit?"

"I'll leave that to her. If she wants you to know ahead of time, she'll tell you."

"Kai, while she's out, I have to know. Is it true? Is there really some crazy queen trying to freeze the world?" Anna asked.

"If anything, it's worse that she said. Not only is the weather out of sorts, but recently monsters long thought extinct have been spotted roaming the lands. I saw some myself, when I went north to help the campaign last year. Huge beasts of ice and snow, very hard to kill. They serve alongside the Frost Queen's forces. Fortunately, there aren't many of them. If there were more, we'd probably have been overrun by now." The older man glanced down in his mug. "I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse this year."

"And no one knows why she's doing this?" She pressed.

"No. That's the worst part. She probably could have won by force of arms by now, but her advance is slow. Something else is going on. That's why we think this abnormal winter is her work. To control the weather like this must take a great deal of her power." He shivered.

"I just don't get it." Anna still knew very little of the situation, but the more she learned, the weirder her role in all this seemed. "Why me? What can I do if things are that bad?"

"I think that's a question only you can answer, Anna." He replied. "Honestly, you're not really what I expected at first, but having had a few days to think on it, that's probably a good thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when Gerda cast that spell, I was hoping for a great warrior, or maybe someone familiar with the old lore and spells. However, there are already plenty of people like that here. And none of them have been able to stop the Frost Queen. You're different. I'm not sure why you were chosen, but maybe you can help us find another way." Kai smiled.

"Then what was with all the physical stuff yesterday and today?" Anna glared.

"Like I said, we need to figure out where your talents lie. And besides, I have a feeling that you'll need some basic training anyway. You won't do anyone any good if the Frost Queen's monsters kill you your first time out there."

"That's... a very compelling argument." She paled at the thought. "Okay, maybe this does have a point."

The rest of the evening was spent chatting with Kai and then Gerda when she returned, though Anna was rapidly getting tired. She crawled onto what she was starting to think of as 'her' bed and pulled the furs over herself...

* * *

... And woke up in that same bed, morning light streaming in through the open window. "Damn it, what the hell?" Gerda looked over at her, confused. "I thought I was starting to get used to this, but why am I still here? Why didn't I go back home?"

"You didn't?" Gerda frowned.

"Nope, went to sleep here, stayed here." Anna pinched herself, to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "I thought that I'd go back, that's what happened before."

"I don't know, then." The older woman told her.

"But-"

"This is the first time I have ever used that spell, so I truly don't know." She continued. "If I had to guess, it is because of the anchor. It's designed to strengthen your connection to this world. So my thought is it will keep you here longer and longer each time."

"So what, I end up spending more time here? I have a life back home, damn it!" Anna glared. "Am I going to be sleeping for longer amounts of time there?"

"I don't know. You'll have to find out the next time you go back." Gerda told her.

"That's the best you can tell me?" She said. "I'm going to get fired if I miss too much more work."

"You're the only one going between worlds. I wish I could help you find answers, but I really can't." The older woman replied. "My best guess would be that you won't lose any more time. You should still wake up at the same time as you usually do. You won't lose time there, you just spend time here."

"I hope you're right." Anna reluctantly walked to the table and started her breakfast. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Today, I get to see what you know about magic..."

* * *

"So bored..." Anna groaned as she stared at the crystal sitting on the table in front of her. "I think we can put this with the others. Let's face it, I have no talent for magic. None at all. I mean, runes didn't work, your chanting stuff did nothing, these crystals don't do anything but look pretty..."

"Yes, you do seem to be not well suited for this." Gerda agreed.

"And wow, it only took us most of the day to figure that out." Anna rolled her eyes. "You know, I could have just told you that there's no such thing as magic in my world."

"Clearly." Gerda smirked. "Which means you're not here right now."

"Point." She sighed. "Still, I think it's safe to say that this Anna is magic-free. Harry Potter, I am not."

"Who?" Gerda turned to her, confused.

"Not important." She waved it off. "So any more tests you need me to fail or can we just call it a day?"

"No, I think you've proven you have no talent for magic." The other woman agreed.

"Then we're done, yay."

"With this, yes." Gerda nodded. "Why don't you relax for a while. I need to consider our options."

"Oh no." Anna retorted. "You don't get to make any more decisions about my future without me. Whatever you're planning, I want to be a part of the process."

"That might be for the best." The corners of Gerda's mouth twitched into a smile.

Gerda walked to the door and called Kai back in. Anna and Kai sat at the table while Gerda retrieved a book and a map from her shelf. She joined them at the table, spreading the map out. It proved to be the same one she'd shown Anna previously, the one laying out the areas controlled by the Frost Queen. "You know the basics of the situation, yes?"

Anna nodded. "Crazy Ice Queen trying to freeze, um, everything."

"Yes, that would be the simple explanation." Gerda agreed. "This weather is also tied to her somehow. Either she is causing it directly or she's taking advantage of it. I personally lean towards believing that it's her doing. Her ice monsters mean she has some form of control over ice and cold. Plus, the weather didn't start changing until after she showed up. All in all, it looks like it's her doing."

"Makes sense, as much as any of this does. Still not seeing what I can do for you."

"I told you before, the gods sent you to me for a reason. Even if we can't see it now." Gerda exchanged a glance with Kai, who nodded firmly in agreement. "We'll just have to train you to survive until then."

"Train me?" Anna didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

 _Next Chapter: Anna's training gets interrupted._

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the delay, work and life pretty much ate into my writing time! No promises, but I'll try to have the next one up sooner._

 _A/N 2: translations for this chapter (minor spoilers):_

 _Gerda:_ Sit and eat, you're going to need your strength.

 _Gerda:_ Very well. This would be easier if you cooperate, but we have no choice.

 _Gerda:_ If you are what was sent when I asked for help, the gods must truly be punishing me.


	3. Ch 03 - First Fights

_A/N: For those who have asked, yes, Elsa will be joining the story soon. Not this chapter, as I still have a little more plot and setup to do, but she will be here soon!_

* * *

 **Winter's Mirror**

 **Chapter 03**

First Fights

The beeping alarm clock was less comfort to Anna than usual. Sure, she was back in her apartment, but that only meant that she still didn't understand all the rules of whatever this was that was happening to her. She'd spent two days in the 'other world', but only one night had passed here. Maybe Gerda was right about the anchor linking her getting stronger. At least she hadn't lost any time. That would be all she needed, to lose her job thanks to this insanity.

"Anna... _Anna!_ " Ariel thumped her shoulder, breaking her out of her daze. "What the hell is wrong with you today? You got in this morning and you've been a zombie all day."

"Sorry, I guess I've had something on my mind." She sighed.

"Bad or good?" Her friend asked.

"I have no idea yet." Anna admitted. "It's... complex."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not at the moment. I don't even know how to start. Where to start." She shrugged. "Trust me, when I figure it out, I'll tell you all about it."

"Fine. Still, you might want to pull yourself together a bit. Unless you want Weselton noticing."

"Ugh, pass." Anna got back to work.

* * *

"Here." Kai handed Anna a practice sword. It was heavy, much heavier than it first appeared, and she nearly dropped it right away. She tried to adjust it, get a better grip on it, and at that point it slipped from her hand, landing on her foot.

"Owww, damn it!" She winced at the pain.

"I think our first lesson needs to be on the proper way to hold it." The older man frowned and picked up the blade, passing it to her again. Once he was sure that she wasn't going to drop it this time, he adjusted her grip until she was holding it the right way. After that, they spent the rest of the morning holding, drawing and sheathing it. Over and over and over again.

"Better." Kai said. "We'll keep practicing this to start with every day, until you have it right without thinking about it. Now though, I think we could both use some lunch."

She took the bread and waterskin he offered, wishing that there was more. She quickly devoured it, then sighed when Kai finished his and got back up. "That's enough of a break for now, let's get back to it."

By the time evening approached, Anna's arms ached, a dull burn running through them. "Thank god." She breathed a sigh of relief when Kai finally decided they were done for the day.

"That was a good first day, Anna." He told her.

"This is only the first day? Ugh, I'm so gonna die." She groaned.

"Nonsense. This will get easier as you get used to it." He picked up their swords and led the way back to the cabin. She followed along wearily, her pace slowing them down. Fortunately, they didn't have far to go from the small clearing they'd used for practice, and soon Anna found herself happily collapsing on her bed.

"Here, drink this." Gerda handed her a cup of the same drink she'd given Anna before.

"If I wasn't so sore, I'd pour that crap out." Anna hesitantly grabbed the cup and downed it before she could rethink her decision. It tasted just as horrid this time as the previous one, but given how much she hurt, it seemed like the lesser of two evils. "Seriously, do you make it taste that way on purpose?"

"Think of it as a good incentive to train quickly." The older woman smirked.

"I think I could use it as drain cleaner." She shuddered. She turned to the table and started on dinner. The food helped chase away the aftertaste of the potion, plus it was delicious. And after the workout Anna had today, she was especially hungry. She quickly devoured the meal. "By the way Gerda, you were right. I didn't lose any time in my world. Well, any more time than the usual night, I mean."

"Good to know. You realize, that means you need to be careful, because I am not sure how events in our world affect yours, only that they are connected."

"How does that prove it?" Anna asked her.

"Clearly the magic ties you here strongly. That makes it very likely that anything that happens here will affect you there." Gerda warned.

"Yeah, I guess so." She sighed. "I guess it's better to know, or at least have a reasonable idea."

* * *

"... You're doing much better today, Anna." Kai approved. Anna returned the smile. After a week of practice, during which she'd gone back to her world once, she could see the improvements as well. She'd only dropped the practice sword once today, and she had managed the run at the start without being too badly out of breath by the end. "I think you're ready to start on some basic moves. Nothing fancy, just ones that will build a solid foundation for you."

"Kai, why are you guys pushing me so hard? I know you need to deal with the Ice Queen somehow, but I still don't really see what good I'll do there." Anna asked as she started on her lunch.

"The night we first started your training, Gerda received a message. There is a new High King, chosen by the jarls, and he's called a gathering at the autumn equinox. So we have about three months, more or less, before we'll need to attend the council." He told her. "Gerda didn't want to put too much pressure on you, but I think you should know. Gerda, as one of the senior Seers, has been called. I think she wants to present you to the other Seers, find out if they can help."

"Ah." Anna replied flatly. They hadn't spent much time on politics, so she didn't really see why that was such a big deal. "So this new king..."

"The message was distorted, so we don't know who was chosen, though the old king had no direct heirs. I would assume one of the jarls managed to convince enough of the others that he should lead." Kai looked out at the horizon. "I hope whoever was chosen can unite the jarls. If we're going to have any chance of pushing back the Ice Queen's armies, we need everyone working together for once."

"Is it really that bad?" She'd seen the map, but she was still trying to get a grasp on the scope of the situation. It wasn't like she could look it up online or anything...

"Yes and no. For the most part, the jarls are competent, seasoned veterans. The problem is, they all think that they know the best way to fight the Queen, and that none of their rivals could do as good..."

Anna nodded, seeing where this was going. "And none of them are willing to follow one of those less competent others..."

"Exactly." Kai agreed. "Meanwhile, the Queen's forces are firmly united. It's one of the reasons we've lost so much ground."

"I imagine the ice monsters are another."

"Yes, as well as the weather. Add it all together and there are days that I wonder how she hasn't won yet." The older man sighed. "Still, as things stand, it's more a question of 'when' rather than 'if'."

"Ah..."

"I'm a realist, Anna. I would like nothing better than for you to solve everything, but honestly I don't expect that. We've been losing, and while the new king might slow that down, he probably won't stop it. All we can do now is try to survive as best we can, force the Queen to offer peace." He smiled sadly at her look. "I'm not giving up or anything, but I won't lie to myself."

"Kai, I wish I were what Gerda wanted, but I'm just me." Anna apologized. "I'll do what I can. Though... I don't see what good I'll be."

"With our help, I'm sure you'll be capable of more than you expect when the time comes." Kai stood up. "Now, let's get back to it..."

* * *

"So, ready to tell me what's been going on with you recently?" Ariel asked her as they took their lunch break at a nearby park. They'd decided to take advantage of the nice weather today, not to mention, get away from Weselton, who was still worried about the new exhibit they were working on. He'd been keeping everyone busy for the past few days with constant changes to the exhibition as well as prepatory meetings.

"Uh, maybe not all the small stuff, but I guess you could say I'm working on a project of my own?" Anna temporized.

"Oh?" The other redhead looked interested. "Can I see?"

"Um..." Anna thought fast. "It's more of a self-improvement thing right now."

"Uh huh." Ariel replied flatly, clearly not believing her.

"Seriously, lots of exercise and stuff!" She continued.

"Well, I guess you do look like you've been working out recently. Though you'd think all the changes Weselton's been making would give you enough exercise and then some. Seriously, if I have to haul one more painting up the stairs on the east wing..." Her friend growled.

"I know... How many times have we moved the Impressionist stuff since yesterday? Five? Six?" Anna groaned.

"Eight."

"God... If he asks us to move it again, I'm gonna rip that rug off his head and replace it with something..." She sighed, but Ariel looked her way, intrigued. "No way, don't even think about it. I so don't want to get fired."

"Aww, come on, you gotta admit it would be brilliant."

"No."

"No fair, you come up with a great idea and then you don't want to use it? Why tease me like this?" Ariel gave in. "Fine, but at least consider it if he keeps having us move stuff pointlessly. I'm getting really sick of this show, and it hasn't even started yet."

"Me too." Anna agreed.

"At least the weekend is almost here. Work can fuck right off till Monday." Her friend eyed her. "Which reminds me, Mulan's back in town, so we're all going out Friday night. That includes you."

"Ari, I'm not really sure I'm up for it."

"Uh uh, I covered for you the other day and had to sit through that damn meeting without you. You owe me, Anna. You're going." The other redhead told her.

"Fine, whatever." Anna shrugged. "I'll go."

"Damn right you will."

* * *

* _Clack!_ * Her practice sword intercepted Kai's, the impact sending shivers down her arm. At least she'd actually managed to block him this time. She recovered, but not fast enough, and his next swing connected with her side, driving the air from her.

"Ooof!" She gasped as she she collapsed to her knees. "Damn... _ghhh_... damn it."

"You need to stop thinking about it so much, Anna. Don't leave yourself open like that. Go back to your guard right away." He reached down to help her up. "When you catch your breath, we'll try it again."

Anna leaned back against a nearby tree as she let herself recover some. So far, she'd been here for four days this time. As Gerda had said, each time she stayed a bit longer than the last. And thanks to the older woman's potion, she spent most of her time training with Kai. The foul tasting brew washed away any soreness or other injuries, letting her exercise longer than normally possible.

Even with the near-constant practice, she still felt horribly uncoordinated. She had yet to hit Kai during any of their sessions, and the best she could do was block about half his strikes. Worse, she knew he was going easy on her still. The one bright spot was on her morning runs, she was actually keeping up now. She still staggered in at the end, but she wasn't lagging behind. So there was that.

"Okay, that's enough rest for now." Anna groaned at Kai's words. "Let me show you a few tricks that might help you, then we can practice some more."

True to his word, the new moves Kai showed her helped quite a bit. Sure, she still lost every practice match, but she did better each time. The last one, she managed to almost connect with one of her swings. Granted, she'd also overextended and left herself wide open, but for the first time in forever, she'd been on the offensive.

"Very good." Kai congratulated her.

"Still ended up 'dead'." She fingerquoted.

"Yes, but you're doing much better. You were actually reacting to the flow of the match that time. Nice work."

"You are taking it easy on me, aren't you? I know you're holding back."

He nodded reluctantly. "Anna, you're doing well for a beginner, but I've been at this for most of my life. I want you to learn, and if I fought you all out, you wouldn't get much out of it besides bruises."

"I thought so." She smiled weakly. "Well, thanks for being considerate of the newbie. I'm trying to get better, I really am."

"I told you, you're doing fine." He smirked. "In fact... why don't we add some extra running before going back to the cabin tonight? Help build up your endurance."

Anna groaned at the thought of even more running... Just when she finally thought that she was improving...

* * *

Anna glanced around the club, already regretting her agreement earlier in the week. Music blared, drowning out whatever Ariel was saying to Mulan as the three of them maneuvered through the crowd to find Shang. She could feel a headache coming on already, and they'd barely been here a few minutes.

"No thank you." She disinterestedly told the latest man who tried to flirt with her as they walked by.

"Anna, can you at least try to look like you're having a good time?" Ariel growled. "That's, what, the third guy you've brushed off?"

"Fourth." She replied. "Look, Ari, I'm here, but I'm not... I can't... I don't want... gah!"

"I'm starting to think you're never gonna be ready again at this rate."

"When I am, I'll let you know. Anyway, why aren't you here with Eric? Instead of bothing me about guys, I mean?" She shot back.

"Eh, he's an idiot, so if I find someone else, it's his loss." The other redhead shrugged. "And you really need to stop letting Adam hold you back. Yeah, he was an asshole, but you gotta start living again."

"I am, Ari. That's why I refuse to settle for less than _I_ deserve this time." She grinned.

"Yeah, leave her alone." Mulan supported her. She hugged Shang. "Weren't you the one who told me I needed to find someone worth fighting for?"

"Well yeah, but only cause you two already had each other, even though you guys were blind to what everyone else could see." Ariel gagged at the sappy twosome.

Anna watched the byplay, amused. It felt good to have real friends again. _It's been, god, what, 4 years or so since I talked to Jasmine? Fucking Adam. Fucking Belle. Fucking family business. I lost too much, not gonna let that happen again._ She waved down a server and got the four of them another round. She had to deter a few more guys as the night wore on, but she still ended up having more fun that she'd thought she would.

So she wasn't thinking as clearly as she normally would have been when they staggered out the door of the club hours later. She would later regret that she hadn't been paying enough attention at the time, but...

"Hand over the cash!" A young guy probably just into his twenties flashed a knife at them as they were headed to catch a cab. Ariel recoiled, clutching her purse. Anna, however, _acted_.

As he advanced on them, she flowed forward, easily slipping past his clumsy thrust and grabbed his wrist. Using a move Kai had shown her, she twisted his arm and sent her assailant to the ground with a yelp of pain. Another swift twist and she disarmed him and kicked the knife away.

"Holy shit, Anna!" Ariel's surprised gasp made her actually think about what had just happened.

"Call 9-1-1, Ari." Her voice was calm, in control, though she didn't feel that way.

"Where the hell did you learn _that_?" Her friend still seemed shocked.

"Ariel! Call the cops, damn it." The guy shifted, but she adjusted her grip and he stopped moving before he hurt himself further.

"Yeah, okay." The other redhead fumbled her phone out and dialed. "We're gonna talk about this later."

"Fuck." She sighed.

* * *

"...Well, your story matches your friend's, and we've reviewed a security cam vid of it, not to mention, the perp has a record a mile long. So you're free to go." The police detective told her.

"Thank you _so_ much." Anna growled, annoyed that they'd wasted hours going over the mugging multiple times.

"Idiots." Ariel muttered to her when they met up in the lobby of the police station.

"No kidding." She agreed.

"Some junkie tries to rob us, and we get nearly arrested for defending ourselves?" Her friend yawned. "That's four hours I'm never getting back. Good thing it's a weekend, because right now, I just wanna go to sleep for a nice, long while."

"Me too."

"Anna, uh..." Ariel looked to the side. "Could I crash at your place tonight? I really don't... I mean, it's silly, but I don't want to go home alone tonight, not after this."

"Sure, Ari." Now that she had some time to look back, she didn't really want to be alone either. "I could do with some company too."

"And tomorrow, we're gonna talk about that kung fu thing you did. Because, please don't take this the wrong way Anna, but that was way more coordinated than I ever thought you could be."

"Figured." Anna stifled a yawn of her own. "God, I'm so tired."

"Ditto. Sleep is king."

"Nah, they elected some other guy." Her voice didn't consult her exhausted brain.

"Wait, what?" Ariel tilted her head.

"Nothing, never mind. My train of thought is totally derailed right about now." She yawned again.

By the time the cab dropped the pair off at Anna's building, she was nearly passed out. She fumbled her key out and let them in. She pointed Ariel towards the bedroom. "My room's through there, you can take the bed, I'll crash on the couch."

"Don't be silly, we can share." Her friend shivered. " 'sides, I told you I really don't want to be alone right now..."

"Hey, we're both okay. Aren't you the one who keeps telling me to focus on the good?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Here." She pulled some clothes out and tossed them to Ariel. "You can borrow these. Let's get some sleep, I'm sure things will look different when we wake up." _If only you knew_...

* * *

"Kai?"

"Yes, Anna?" He looked up from pulling the practice gear from his pack.

"Thanks. For all this training and stuff."

The older man quirked an eyebrow. "Just yesterday you told me you hated this. What changed your mind?"

"Uh, I - can we just talk for a bit. I have something to tell you. Something that happened to me back in my world." She sat down on a log.

"This thing was bad?" He took a seat on a nearby rock.

"Yes, but..." Anna tried to remember what all she wanted to say. "I was with my friends, having a good time, when this guy came up to us. He had a knife..."

"Go on." Kai prompted when she trailed off.

"I just _acted_ , Kai! He lunged at us, and I - I -" She took a deep breath. "I did that disarm move you showed me. I threw him to the ground. They said I broke his wrist. I didn't mean to, I didn't think about it, I just did it!"

"Good for you."

Her head jerked up in shock. "Wait, what?"

"Anna, someone attacked you and you protected yourself. Good for you." He repeated.

"I thought you'd be mad, say I'm stupid for risking myself."

"Life is uncertainty, Anna. There is always going to be some risk, but the more you train, the more you learn, the more you grow, the more you can protect yourself. I don't think you risked yourself. I think you did what was necessary. And I'm proud that you suceeded."

"Huh." Anna sat back, She'd expected... well, not that.

"Here." Kai got up. "Why don't you show me what happened..."

She showed him, then they went on to work on some new moves based on the disarm. She was a bit surprised when he ended their practice early that day, however. "Why are we stopping so early?"

"Gerda will start training you as well." He told her as they packed up their. "Mornings, I will keep working with you, but afternoons are now with her."

"What am I going to be training with her?" She asked.

"That, I can't say. My wife is a Seer, something I have no talent for. But if she says she has something to teach you, then it must be important."

"Wow, that's helpfully vague." She grumped. "I don't really see what good this'll do. I showed zero talent when she was testing me."

"You were pretty hopeless when I started training you as well." Kai said. "But look how much progress you've made so far."

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a disaster?"

* * *

Four days later, Anna was convinced that her new afternoon training regimen was useless. Gerda started her with some more basic history and now they were working on meditation techniques. She did her best, but so far she couldn't seem to get any results. All in all, it had been day after day of failure for her.

"Still nothing?" Gerda asked her.

"Nope. Whatever you want me to feel, I'm not getting it at all." She sighed. "Let's face it, I just don't have the talent for this."

"You do, Anna. You're not doing any worse than any of my previous students did when they first started." The older woman smiled encouragingly. "You just need to keep working on it."

"I still don't understand what exactly I'm supposed to be learning here."

"I can't say for certain, either. Not until we know what areas your talents lie in." Gerda told her. "We'll have to find out together, then I can start focusing your training on that."

"I hope we figure it out soon, because this is boring." Anna sighed again.

"Concentrate, Anna." The older woman chided.

"I have been. I don't think it's possible for my mind to get any emptier." She looked up at her teacher. "I have to ask though, why are you and Kai pushing this so much?"

"We received a message the other day. The Queen's forces are massing in greater numbers than ever before along the border. They haven't pushed yet, but they will soon. The other Seers and I believe that they are waiting for the weather to turn, as winter will favor Her. It's entirely possible that this year could be the year she breaks through."

"Okay, so things are worse than expected, got it."

"Yes, an apt way to phrase it. The truly disturbing news, and the reason that we have intensified your training, is that frost giants have been spotted roaming the land. Only during the worst storms, but still..." She shivered.

Anna stared at her blankly. "Yeah, you already told me about the Queen's monsters. So?"

"I forget, you don't have the same understanding that I do." Gerda frowned. "I doubt the frost giants work for the queen. They are the heralds of the end times."

"You mean like..."

"Yes, if they are returning, it could mean this is the end of the world."

"Wow." Totally inadequate word, but Anna felt like she had to say something. "So, uh..."

"Yes?"

"Can we go over what exactly I'm supposed to be meditating on again?"

* * *

"I don't see how you can be so relaxed this morning." Ariel grumped. "I still feel uneasy after last night."

"Huh?" _Last night? Oh right, 5 days ago for me. Goddamn it, this whole time dissonance is a huge pain in the ass._ "Yeah, I guess I good night's sleep really helps."

"I wish I could sleep as easy as you do." Her friend gave her a friendly glare.

 _No you don't!_ "Look, it's a new day, Ari. New possibilities. _And_ we don't have work until Tuesday, so let's focus on having a good time, okay?"

"Now you're the one cheering me up?" The other redhead choked out a laugh.

"Yeah, and it's not even April Fool's day. Weird, huh?"

"Uh huh. And speaking of weird, where the hell did you learn that whatever-it-was that you did to that guy?" Ariel shot her a glance.

"Self defense training." Anna trotted out her prepared lie. It didn't hurt that it contained more than a little truth. "Part of my whole 'get in shape' thing."

"I dunno, Anna. It's not really what I'd picture first when I think of you."

"It's not what I expected either. I guess I'm learning new things about myself." She gave a flat smile. "I kinda like it."

"Kung Fu Anna." Ariel returned the smile. "Well, I gotta say, I'm glad you did. Thank you, Anna. Seriously, thank you."

"So, what are we gonna do today? Besides going to a club, because between the loser parade and the mugger, I think I'm done with clubs for a while."

"I think I'm with you on that one." The other redhead sighed. "And I got nothing. I don't... I don't feel like going out today all that much, you know?"

" _Game of Thrones_ marathon then? I'll order a pizza." Anna suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Ariel agreed.

...

"Oh come on! That's so not possible!" Anna leaned forward. "You'd get run through if you tried a moronic move like that."

"Anna, this is a show with dragons and ice zombies, and you're complaining about the fight choreography?" Ariel glared.

"Sorry." She sank back into the couch. _Stupid, stupid dream world crap! I can't believe it even interferes with this... Damn it, you just can't DO that! Kai would cut these idiots to ribbons_.

"Too bad they got rid of Drogo, talk about eye candy." The other redhead sighed wistfully.

"With ya there." Anna nodded.

The pizza arrived shortly after and they decided to watch a few more episodes. Ariel still didn't feel like going home yet, so Anna let her stay another night. She closed her eyes, knowing that while her friend might get some rest, she would be busy...

* * *

"I received another message this morning." Gerda told her after their afternoon meditation practice had finished. "The Queen's forces have started moving earlier than expected. They crossed the western border two days ago. The High King has called all loyal forces to the capital to organize a response. We will leave in the morning."

"We?"

"Yes, I cannot very well leave you here alone. Besides, the other Seers will wish to meet you."

"Great." Anna put a mocking hand to her forehead. "Your training must be working, because I foresee many days of crystal-gazing ahead for me."

"Kai is preparing gear for us for the journey, so we can leave as soon as we wake tomorrow."

"And how long to the capital?" She asked.

"I would say a week, if the weather holds." Gerda grimaced. "Unfortunately, given the Queen's magic, that is not reliable."

"Right."

"Also, we will need to be on our guard. Not all the Jarls have joined the High King. Some of them oppose him and all those who stand with him. Plus, there are more bandits than usual. Deserters, opportunists, that kind of thing." The older woman warned.

"Okay, and here I was worried this would be too easy." Anna sighed. "Any more bad news?"

"Yes. Raiding parties from the Queen's army have struck south as well, so even if we don't encounter bandits, we may still have to fight."

"That was a rhetorical question." She groaned.

"Then I probably shouldn't mention the fact that we'll have to take the backroads, since a rockfall closed the main pass between here and the capital." Gerda smiled tightly.

"Joy." She looked around. "Do I need to pack anything?"

"No, Kai will take care of it all. Just rest up and be ready for tomorrow. We're leaving early."

When Gerda had said early, she apparently meant it. The sun had barely crested the horizon when the older woman got their small party out the door. Three packs waited for them, and Gerda helped her settle hers on her back. Anna shifted uncomfortably under the unaccustomed weight, already anticipating the ache in her shoulders she was sure she'd be feeling tonight. She was glad that Gerda had provided her with new boots that fit perfectly, because with all the walking that she had in her future, she knew she'd need them.

By the time they broke for lunch, Anna's shoulders burned with a dull, persistent ache. At least her feet weren't that sore, so apparently her training was working. She still took advantage of the break to sit and rest. "Tell me this gets easier."

Kai chuckled. "You'll get used to it."

"Yeah, after my arms fall off."

She rubbed her shoulders absently and focused on devouring her lunch. It wasn't much, just bread and cheese, but after an entire morning of hiking with a heavy pack, the food was welcome. As she finished her meal, she took the time to look around. The landscape was absolutely beautiful. Snow lightly dusted the mountains and the taller trees. A light breeze worked its way through the trees. In the distance, she saw a small stream threading its way down a hill.

She narrowed her eyes. Figures were moving through the trees, headed straight for where they sat. "Kai." She kept her voice quiet, even.

"I see them." He stood up. "Get your sword ready."

Anna gulped but did as he said. She drew the blade he'd given her that morning - a real steel sword, no longer a wooden practice one - and moved up beside him. "Who are they?"

"I don't know, but we can't assume they're friendly. In fact, as they're not wearing any colors I can recognize, they are most likely bandits." Kai smiled reassuringly. "Be ready, Anna. Stay calm and stay close."

It wasn't anything like the movies or shows at all. The bandits broke from the trees at the edge of the clearing, and charged right at them. And that was the last detail Anna could remember. The fight blurred into a confused mess. There weren't many bandits, but even so, she couldn't recall their numbers. One rage-filled face replaced another as she and Kai cut through them. None of their foes were very skilled, but they did have numbers on their side.

When the fight was over, Anna had suffered a few small cuts, but nothing serious. Kai and Gerda had likewise made it through fine. She leaned against a tree, shaking as she caught her breath. Her stomach roiled and she bent over, throwing up violently.

"Are you all right, Anna?"

She held up a hand and shook her head. No, she was not okay at all! She had...

She had...

...had...

She quickly turned and threw up again. When she finished, she couldn't stop trembling. Her breathing was rapid and shallow and she had trouble focusing on anything. The whole world seemed to spin and shake.

"Breathe, Anna. You need to calm down and breathe normally." Gerda was next to her, holding her steady.

"Gerda, I..." Her words wouldn't come out.

"It's okay, Anna. Calm down. Remember your training. Collect your mind. Calm. You are calm. In control." The older woman kept her voice even, soothing.

"I can't do this." Anna gasped. "Send me back, please. I don't want this. It's too much."

"It will be all right." Gerda repeated.

"Why?" She felt tears gathering. "Why did this have to happen?"

"They chose their path, Anna. They likely have killed others, mostly easy targets like undefended homes and travellers. They would have killed us as well. Don't feel bad for protecting yourself. Protecting us all." The older woman kept trying to reassure her.

"But I -" She gulped. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Kai joined them. "Anna, you survived, that's all that matters."

"Let me tend to your wounds." Gerda broke out some bandages and quickly took care of the few cuts Anna suffered during the fight. Anna focused on that, and she slowly found herself calming down.

When she had finished, she turned to Anna. "Do you feel well enough to move?"

"Yeah, I... I think I can go on." She got up, but was still a bit unsteady. She braced herself against the tree and took a deep breath. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

"Does what happened earlier still bother you?" Gerda asked her that night when they stopped for the evening.

"Yeah, a bit." She admitted. "I mean, I know you guys are right, they would have killed us if we hadn't fought back, but still... I never expected... It's a huge difference between training and doing."

"I felt the same way after my first experience with combat." Kai told her. "I still don't remember much about it, even now."

Anna shivered a bit. "Does it ever get easier?"

"I eventually learned to cope. But no, it doesn't. Nor should it, I believe." He sighed. "Many warriors think otherwise, but they're fools, seeking nothing more than a glorious death in battle after killing many of the enemy. I would rather fight only as a last resort."

"Really?"

"Yes. I've seen too many friends die stupid, unnecessary deaths to believe any of the romanticism that the skalds sing of. Battle is ugly, brutal and wasteful. That's why I've been training you so hard." Kai fixed her with a flat look. "However, with the war against the Queen, it is unfortunately necessary, now more than ever. And so, I want you able to protect yourself."

"I'm glad I didn't die. I still feel bad, though."

"Because you're a good person, Anna." Gerda hugged her.

Camp that evening was quiet, though Anna still had problems falling asleep. When she finally did, her dreams were troubled...

* * *

They made good time to the capital, the weather actually clearing up for the majority of the journey. Shortly after lunch on the fifth day, the capital came into view at last. The city of Arendelle dominated the bay it rested upon, buildings crowding all along the shoreline and several small ships tied up at the docks.

"Wow." She breathed.

"Every time I see it, I am impressed." Gerda agreed. "It's grown quite a bit since I saw it last."

"When was that?"

"A few years ago." The older woman told her. "Just after the last High King died. We attended the funeral and a few of the councils, but left when it was obvious that there would be no agreement reached."

"Wow." Anna repeated.

"We should keep going if we want to reach it before nightfall." She started out again, and Anna lurched into motion to keep up with her. She was excited to see the palace and meet the king.

* * *

 _Next Chapter: Meet the High King! Also, the invasion by the Ice Queen picks up._

* * *

 _A/N 2: So yeah, Anna's about to get involved with the main plot here. Elsa will be showing up as well, either in the next chapter or 5, I'll have to see how it goes. Also, we're going to find out a bit more about what happened to the previous king._


	4. Ch 04 - The High King

_A/N: this one's a bit long, but I had a lot of stuff to cover, and I didn't want to split it into two chapters._

* * *

 **Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 04

The High King

Anna, Kai and Gerda followed the royal guards in past the main gates of the castle. The outer courtyard had been packed with troops from many different villages, but the inner yard was comparitively empty. One corner was occupied by a wagon being loaded, and several guards were stationed at the door, but for the most part only a few other people were here.

"Wow." She realized she'd been saying that a lot recently, but the capital truly was impressive. Most of the buildings of the inner city had been made from a white stone - not marble, but equally beautiful in their own way. And the palace outshone them. Large windows, elegantly decorated walls, pennants flying from poles seemingly scattered all across the buildings and walls.

"Lady Seer," One of the guards addressed Gerda. "The High King has requested your presence for the latest meeting with the Jarls."

"Of course." She returned the shallow bow. "It would be our honor."

He nodded. "Please, follow me."

"Stay close to me and follow my lead." Gerda whispered to Anna. "I don't want you to draw too much attention. If anyone asks, you're my student."

"That's the truth, at least." She smiled wryly.

"Indeed. I want the other Seers to meet you before anything is decided concerning us." She nodded to Kai, who stepped between them and the guard leading them, then lowered her voice to where Anna could barely hear her. "Agree to nothing without talking to me or Kai first. The Seers work _with_ the High King, but we do not serve him."

"Uh, okay." Anna frowned but agreed. "You couldn't have said this earlier."

"One of the guards on the outer wall is the son of another of the elder seers. He passed a message to me discretely and warned me of trouble between the Seers and king." The older woman kept her voice quiet. "I need to have a private talk with them as soon as possible."

"Because it's never good news." She grumped.

"True enough." Gerda nodded. "Still, I wanted to warn you."

"Thanks, I'll do my best."

"As will I."

* * *

"So... that was a complete waste of time." Anna glared at the gaggle of advisors who'd eventually filtered into the audience chamber of the palace and announced that the High King was otherwise occupied and would not be able to formally greet them until tomorrow. _And it only took them the entire afternoon to do so_.

"Not for them." She shot a look over at Gerda, but the older woman shook her head and mouthed 'not here'. Anna didn't like it, but she nodded to show she understood.

She trailed behind the older woman as she and Kai made their way out of the main building of the palace and headed towards another that dominated one of the walls. Intricate carvings covered the large double doors. Several robed figures stood out front, and Gerda exchanged bows with them. She spoke quietly to the lead figure, too quietly for Anna to overhear. The... man (she guessed from the size and body shape)... turned to face her, but she couldn't make out any features underneath the hood. He turned back to Gerda, gave her a sharp nod and moved to open the doors of the temple.

"Amazing..." The interior was just as beautiful as the exterior, hundreds of candles throwing up flickering illumination all across the room. Carvings and paintings decorated the walls and alcoves, and a large fire burned at the other end of the room. Three large statues stood above the fire, tall and imposing.

"Anna." Gerda drew her attention to another door on the side of the room. She hurried over to join her teacher. Inside, a large table covered most of the room. The robed figures sat down and motioned for Anna and Gerda to stand in front of them.

"Elder Seer Gerda." She inclined her head to the man seated in the center. "I am glad you were able to join us. We have much to discuss."

"Eldest." Gerda replied. "This is my student, Anna."

"Novice Anna, be welcomed to our Circle."

"Th - thank you, uh... Eldest." She stammered and bowed. At his nod, she relaxed a bit. Thankfully that response had been acceptable.

"Gerda," A woman seated a few places to the left of the Eldest spoke up. She pushed back her hood, revealing dark hair streaked with grey, and her blue eyes bored into Anna. "Would you care to explain? That spell is forbidden, and for good reason."

"Snow, you should know as well as anyone that what we have been doing hasn't worked. If we want to have any chance of dealing with the Queen, extreme measures need to be tried."

"And clearly, you know better than the Circle, because your spell brought you the aid of a mighty ally." The dark-haired woman glared at Anna, who returned it along with a mental ' _Bitch_ '.

"Enough, Snow." The Eldest's voice was quiet, but she heard the steel underneath. "What's done is done. No use arguing it now."

"As you say." The other woman sat back, but her attention remained focused on Anna.

"However, I do think it would benefit the Circle to hear more about this. Elder Gerda, if you would?" The old man waved Gerda forward.

"Eldest, honored members of the Circle, as you are all aware, the weather has worsened even more than expected this year..."

* * *

Anna was relieved to find herself back in her world when she woke up the next day. The whole explanation and then question session with the Circle had been even worse than some of the job interviews she'd gone through. The Eldest, along with the others, had pried into every detail of her life, as well as what she knew about Gerda, the spell, that world, events there, the Queen... She had no idea how long it had lasted, as by the time she'd finally been dismissed to go to sleep, it was extremely late.

"Morning, Anna." Ariel greeted her, then frowned. "You didn't sleep well?"

"Not lately." She grumped.

"Yeah, I slept better last night, but still..." She shivered, fortunately misinterpreting Anna's answer.

"Speaking of sleep, is Weselton still having that damn meeting today?" Anna asked.

"Ugh, totally forgot about that." Ariel groaned.

"Hopefully it won't be that bad."

"It's probably gonna be worse." Her friend sighed. "He's so boring..."

"Agreed, though at least if we're at the meeting, we won't be stuck reorganizing the new exhibit yet again."

"I guess a small silver lining is better than none at all."

The meeting turned out to be just as boring as they expected, and it ran longer than it was supposed to, only ending when Weselton got hungry and let everyone go to lunch. They decided to just have lunch in Ariel's office.

"Y'know, I think I would have preferred moving the collection to having to sit through that." Anna said around a bite of takeout.

"I hate to say it, but I'm with you on that one." The other redhead agreed. "Though, it's kind of fun trying to figure out when his toupee will fall off."

"That reminds me, you still owe me five bucks. I was totally right that it'd make a break for freedom when he went to fiddle with the laptop." Anna giggled.

"Yeah, yeah." Ariel grumbled, then brightened. "It was pretty funny when it got caught in the keyboard and popped the spacebar off."

"And landed in his coffee cup. I know, right?" She grinned.

"Totally worth five bucks to see that." Ariel pulled a bill out of her purse and handed it over to Anna. "Anyway, I'm still winning overall. I mean, I got the bonus last week when he caught it in the elevator doors in front of our biggest donor and his daughter."

" _That_ one was amazing. They thought it was a rat and started yelling, and animal control got called." Anna agreed.

The afternoon passed fairly quickly. Weselton was apparently happy with the collection (' _for now',_ she thought cynically), so they had little to do for the rest of the day. Ariel decided that she was fine with going home at last, and Anna was glad that she seemed to be feeling better about the whole mugging thing. Anna herself had mostly put it out of her mind - getting attacked and nearly killed by sword-wielding bandits really put things in perspective.

She lay down on her bed, wondering what the Circle elders would have to say to her...

* * *

"Novice Anna, we have discussed your situation thoroughly and reached a decision. Elder Gerda, will you step forward?"

The older woman moved up next to her. "Gerda, we understand your reasoning behind your decision to cast that spell, and while we would have preferred if you had consulted with us first, we have agreed that you are correct. The weather is deteriorating faster than expected, and with the Queen's forces continuing their advance, we are running out of time."

The Eldest sent a glare towards Snow when she looked like she might interrupt. "Also, we have agreed that you will remain as Novice Anna's teacher. The majority of us will head north, to investigate these rumors of frost giants."

"Shouldn't we go with you?" Gerda asked.

"No, you will accompany the king's forces as an observer. We need first hand information on how the Queen is manipulating the weather. A few others will join you as well. Once we have more details, we'll be able to make a real plan. This should also give you more time for Anna's training." The Eldest stood up, the others following his lead.

"Please tell me Snow isn't going to be staying." Anna whispered to Gerda.

"Don't worry, she's going with the Eldest." Her teacher replied. "I have no wish to spend time with her either." The older woman frowned. "There is one more thing that was decided last night. I will bring you with me to meet the new High King."

"Oh? Weren't you worried about me making agreements with him?" She asked.

"I would like your untainted opinion of him. I will explain more after, but I would appreciate hearing what you think." Gerda told her.

"Oh-kay... I can do that for you." Anna said.

"I will say this at least. Do _not_ trust him. Be very, very careful."

"Just great. This whole -"

"Lady Seer." One of the royal guards saluted as he approached them. "Forgive my interruption, but the King has summoned you and your student. You are to attend him at once."

"Very well." Gerda gathered herself and gave him a nod. "Lead on."

Anna tried to emulate Gerda's effortless, elegant strides as best she could, and for the most part, she thought she succeeded. The guard led them through the halls to an antechamber, where several more guards came forward to hold their weapons during their audience. She reluctantly handed over her sword, as well as her dagger. It surprised her, how much she missed their presence.

"Elder Seer Gerda and her student, Novice Anna." The herald announced from the side of the door.

Anna gulped as she walked into the throne room. She could see the High King seated on his throne, watching them. As they made their way down the room, she got a better look at him. He had brown hair and sideburns, and a lazy smile on his face.

Her first thought was that he was very handsome, but something about his smile sent a chill down her spine. He looked a little too much like Adam had, back when they were still dating. His smile never reached his eyes, and his gaze was far too possessive for her to be comfortable with. _I get why Gerda warned me about him. He's definitely trouble, and not the good kind. That smirk... Adam had the same one when he took over the family business, like just because he's in charge, he can do whatever he wants_.

"Elder Gerda, so good to see you once more." His voice carried a smug undertone. "I honestly didn't expect you to return to Arendelle."

"I am ever in the service of the common good, King Hans." Her teacher bowed.

"The common good, but not mine?" Hans quirked an eyebrow, but waved before she could reply. "Don't bother giving me one of your careful denials. I know you never approved of how my mother married the old High King. And you and the rest of your Seers tried their best to have my family removed when he died. Not to mention, I'm sure you expected one of my brothers to be sitting here, not me."

"Honestly, I thought Magnus would be the choice. He was always interested in the occult, and given the situation..." Gerda nodded towards one of the windows, where a light snow could be seen.

"Ah yes... Unfortunately, Magnus opened some doors best left closed and removed himself from the succession entirely." Hans smirked. "He would indeed have been trouble, otherwise."

"I am surprised the other Jarls accepted you." She commented. "I thought Jorlef threatened to have you gutted if he ever saw you again."

"Jorlef lost half his lands to the Ice Queen. He might not like me, but he realizes that we have to work together to stop that bitch before she freezes the whole country." His grin grew wider. "I believe you and your fellow Seers sent a number of messages saying something similar. Aren't you glad it worked?"

"Thrilled." The older woman replied flatly. "Did you call me here only to gloat?"

"No, that was just a bonus." The King waved, and a servant walked over, carrying a small table with a map on it. "As much as it pains me to say it, I find myself needing the help of you and your Circle. I had this map drawn up a few days ago. It's as accurate as possible, and shows not only the location of the Queen's army, but also how far her unnatural weather has reached." He stepped down from the throne and joined them at the table. "I know you're no military leader, but you see the problem?"

"She's going to cut the country in half..." Anna didn't realize she'd spoken until King Hans frowned her way.

"Exactly." His attention remained on her while Gerda bent over to study the map further. "We were curious why she'd pulled some of her forces back, but looking at it like this makes it obvious. Our forces are heading out to prepare for this thrust, but she still has her magic. We need the Circle's help if we are to stop her."

"You know I cannot order that." Gerda finally looked up from the map. "I am not the Eldest."

"But he listens to you. I know you don't like me, but this is bigger than us. Frost giants have been spotted in the northern lands. Word just reached us that the garrison Kirkstaad was wiped out by them three days ago. We can hold the Queen's army back for now, but the weather is beyond our control, as are the frost giants. We need the Seers."

"I will talk with him, but I know he wants to reseach the Queen's magic more before he commits to anything."

"Then come with me." Hans looked serious, and Anna found herself warming to him a little. "See for yourself. Please."

"Very well. A few of us will accompany you and investigate." She gave a shallow bow. "If you will excuse us, I will inform the Eldest."

"Of course." He waved a dismissal.

Once they were safely out of the throne room, Anna retrieved her weapons and followed her teacher. She waited until they were outside and turned to Gerda. "I don't get it, I thought the Eldest wanted you to join the King and find out what the Queen is doing with the weather? So why were you so rude?"

Gerda smiled. "What did you think of him?"

"Hans?" She shivered. "He reminds me way too much of my ex-husband. I get the feeling that his definition of the right thing to do is 'what's right for Hans at this time'. And I really don't his smile. It's too... empty, predatory, creepy, all at once."

"Would you trust him?"

"Hell no." She snorted.

"Believe me, he trusts me just as little. That's why I acted as I did. If I had asked to join him, if I had told him that the Circle is investigating, he would have been suspicious. He might even have forbidden our involvement. But this way, he asked us to help, and even then, I didn't agree fully." Gerda sighed. "I needed him to want us. He still won't trust us, but at least we can get our mission done."

"I get it now." Anna nodded to herself.

"He is right about one thing, Arendelle does need everyone working together. I just wish someone else was leading." Her teacher frowned. "At least, he is not the worst of his family, though that isn't saying much."

"From what you two were saying, I'm getting that there's more to that story."

"Yes. Twenty five years ago, the old queen died. People were worried, because the old King only had a young daughter at the time, so there were concerns of succession. I never met her, but her name was Princess Elsa. She was still very little, but many of the Jarls had no wish for her to be the heir at all."

"Because she was a girl?" Anna asked contemptuously.

"Some felt that way, yes, and others said she was too young if anything should happen to the King. But the majority used the issue to seize more power for themselves. They wanted the throne weakened, whether to break away or to try to supplant the royal family. However, before their plans could take shape, the King remarried. He chose a noblewoman from the Southern Isles."

Gerda sighed. "That's where the real trouble began. As soon as the new queen bore the first son, she did her best to push Princess Elsa aside. And many of the Jarls still wished to be High King themselves, and were threatened by this interloper. Others disliked a foreigner having so much power. Honestly, even if the King hadn't died, the country would have fragmented eventually. If anything, the Ice Queen is probably the only reason there is a High King now."

"What happened to Princess Elsa?" Anna asked. "I can't believe she'd be any worse than Hans."

"I don't know." The older woman admitted. "The new queen had her sent away for 'training'. The princess supposedly sent letters to her father, and he supported that story, but somehow, I doubt things went that smoothly. I suspect that the queen had her killed or imprisoned quietly, with an imposter sending the letters. Most likely she's dead, and has been for years."

"If not her, I could believe that Hans would do it, or order it done. He seems the type."

"Oh yes. I know he murdered at least two of his brothers personally, though I cannot prove it." She growled.

"So what happened to the new queen? Given what you've told me, I'd think she'd be around here somewhere." Anna frowned.

"She died five years ago. Just dropped dead in the middle of a dance at the winter ball. The Seers tested for poisons and spells, but found nothing." Gerda glared back towards the castle. "It's possible it was entirely natural, but I highly doubt it. However, I am not sure who did it or why. And even if I was, I can't prove anything."

"If you know he and his family are this terrible, then why haven't you done something?"

"Two reasons. First, the Seers stay neutral. We may not like a leader, but we try not to interfere. That has been our way since the Circle was founded." She held up another finger. "Second, as awful as Hans is, we unfortunately need him right now. He's the only reason the Ice Queen's assault has even slowed down."

"I guess... It just seems like a bad idea. I mean, if he killed his own family, why do you think he'll spare you guys once this war is over?" Anna asked.

"That has been discussed. I doubt he will make such a move - he doesn't have nearly enough support from the jarls for it. Further, while we try not to take sides, we certainly would not allow him to do such a thing." Gerda sighed. "I don't like it, but it's the best option at the moment."

"I see. So for now we're just going to accompany the army? Keep an eye on the King while we investigate the Ice Queen?"

"Essentially yes." The older woman confirmed. "Right now, we need information and this is our best opportunity."

* * *

Anna suppressed a yawn as she sat through the second prepatory meeting for the exhibit opening. It was bad enough that in the other world she was busy with preparations for joining the war effort, but now she was stuck listening to Weselton drone on about the opening Gala. With the event only three days away, he was understandably nervous. Anna, however, was finding it hard to get excited about it.

The past few days with Gerda had been spent with some last-minute training, as well as preparing to march out to meet the army. Kai worked with her in the afternoons, helping her refine her techniques. The other Seers had also started tutoring her on various subjects, ranging from first aid to weather reading and more. With all that, as well as the reality that she'd most likely be drawn into a war, worrying over a little thing like the gala seemed so petty.

"So, are you bringing a date?" Ariel asked her after the meeting was over.

"No." Anna replied firmly. "And before you say anything, another 'no'."

"I didn't even ask yet." The other redhead protested.

"You were going to."

"Maybe." Ariel admitted.

"Look, I don't mind not having a date. Honestly, after Adam, it's a relief. I'm going to go to the party alone and try to enjoy myself." _In three days, given how the time difference works, I could be at the front... This is insane! What am I going to do? When I'm here, it seems like it's just a dream, but it's not. I know it's not. I don't want to, but... I can't do nothing, not anymore._

Anna paused for a moment as the thoughts rolled through her. _I'm scared_.

"Anna? Are you okay?" Her friend peered at her, concerned. "You look wicked serious."

"Just thinking."

"Are you still bothered by... that?" Ariel frowned a bit.

"No. At least, not directly." Anna considered what she could tell her friend without sounding like she was totally insane. "I just never expected my life to end up like it has. And well, I guess it's not all bad, you know?"

"Ah."

"And I just want to get through this damn gala. It hasn't even happened yet and I'm already tired of it."

"Fair enough, I'm getting fed up with all these meetings and exhibit changes too."

"Anyway, how about I ask about you? Are you going to bring Eric to the Gala?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, that's the plan." Ariel grinned. "His turn to be arm candy."

"Well, I hope it goes all right for you then."

"It better. After the past few weeks, I could really use it."

* * *

Despite several riding lessons, Anna still felt awkward in the saddle the day they set out from the capital. It didn't help that the weather warmed up enough that day for the snow to melt, turning everything into a dreary, muddy mess. And to make the day just perfect, as soon as they had passed the outer gate it had stared a slow drizzle. The rain managed to seep through her coat, leaving her cold and miserable.

Hans didn't help her mood much either. The High King and his guards stayed fairly close to the Seers' contingent. When he wasn't politely arguing with Gerda, Anna could feel his eyes on her. She stuck close to her teacher for the most part, but Hans' gaze gave her the creeps. He looked way too much like Adam when he was in one of his possessive moods. Unfortunately, she was forced to deal with him whenever he decided to have one of his 'discussions' with Gerda.

"So Anna, how long have you been studying with Gerda?" Hans asked her.

"Not that long, King Hans." Anna replied. She tried to say as little as possible whenever she ``

"Really? Your husband doesn't mind?"

"He doesn't get a say in it." She didn't want to tell him she was no longer married. That would open a can of worms that she was sure would be even worse than Ariel trying to set her up with dates.

"Interesting." Hans murmurred.

If that had been all, maybe the day wouldn't have been so bad, but Hans always seemed to be close by. When the army halted at noon, he joined Gerda for a discussion on her theories as to how the Ice Queen might be controlling the weather. That afternoon, he joined them again so they could figure out how best to spread the Seers out amongst the army. Later on, he simply rode next to them for a time. And when the army finally camped for the night, Gerda and the other Seers were asked to set up near the king.

"Novice Anna, Elder Gerda." One of the guards bowed as she approached them. "The High King requires your presence at dinner tonight."

"Thank you." Gerda said. "We will attend."

Once the guard was safely out of earshot, Anna sighed. "Damn it, I was hoping we'd at least get some time without him."

"Sadly, that doesn't seem to be likely. I feared he might take an interest in us once we agreed to accompany the expedition." Gerda frowned. "Be careful, it looks like he's more interested in you than me."

"Yeah, I figured." Anna said.

"I'm sorry, Anna. This is one more complication that we really don't need right now. Still, what I said before holds. Don't trust him. Don't give him an opening."

"I know. I just wish he'd find someone else to bother." She finished setting out her bedroll.

"I doubt he will. Growing up, Hans was always very focused on his goals, and I doubt that has changed since he's become High King." Her teacher replied. "Honestly, I thought his schemes and obsessing would get him killed by one of his brothers, but that's not the case."

"If only..." Anna smiled wryly. "Don't suppose Kai could find me a suit of armor to wear tonight? That might get the message across."

"He might find it a bit rude." Gerda said. "Don't worry, soon enough we'll be fighting the snow monsters and whatever other nasty surprises the Ice Queen has in store for us."

"True, I just need to look on the bright side."

"That's the spirit."

* * *

"Anna, would you please stay? I have a matter that needs discussing." She'd managed to get through the dinner with as little contact as possible with Hans, but unfortunately, it looked like her luck had run out. The King had cornered her as she went to leave with Gerda.

"It has been a long day, King Hans. I really should rest." She tried to sidestep him, but he moved to block her.

"I insist. This will not take long at all."

"I will wait for you here, Anna." Gerda returned to the seat she'd had for dinner. Anna was grateful her teacher wasn't leaving her alone with Hans.

Hans frowned but reluctantly nodded to her. He led Anna over to the far end of the tent, stopping when they were far enough away that Gerda couldn't overhear them. "Anna, I know that Gerda has warned you about me, but that is the past. You saw the map, you know what we're up against. My only goal is to save Arendelle from the Ice Queen. We're losing ground, and there is no time for us to be fighting against one another."

"I agree." Anna replied cautiously.

"Now more than ever, we need unity. Unfortunately, too many of my Jarls are pulling away. Some think they could do a better job than me. Others are convinced we're going to lose. They want to try to make a separate peace with the Ice Queen." He snorted. "Fools."

"They would be, if they tried that now. What guarantees do they have that she would honor it? Or even agree in the first place?"

"Exactly." Hans smiled at her. "I need to get the Jarls firmly behind me. They need hope, not just for the campaign this year, but also for the future. Anna, marry me."

"Wait, what?" Anna gaped at him. "Are you crazy?"

"Hardly. You are beautiful, educated, strong and connected to the Seers. Moreover, you aren't a member of the household of any of the Jarls, so I won't offend one of them by picking the daughter of one of their political enemies. You're the obvious choice."

"No. Not just no, hell no!" Anna growled.

"Anna, don't be hasty. Don't make a decision you'll regret." Hans' smile slipped a little, and anger flickered in his gaze. "This would make a huge difference. By marrying you, I ensure the continuation of my line and the stability of the throne."

"Hans... I don't love you. I don't like you, and I sure as hell don't trust you!"

"What does love have to do with marriage? This is purely political, though I certainly wouldn't be adverse to ... " His eyes rolled down her body. "... exploring all aspects of this union."

"Never." Anna turned and stormed back towards Gerda.

"You'll pay for this, Anna." Hans threatened.

"What was that all about?" Gerda asked, glancing back to where Hans glared at them.

"Not here." She shook her head.

She kept quiet until they reached the large tent the Seers had set up. Once they were inside, Anna turned to Gerda. "Hans wants me to marry him!" She hissed.

Gerda paled. "Tell me more."

"He said it was... well, that it was political. That picking me would stabilize his line and not offend his supporters." Her face twisted in disgust. "That maybe I'd enjoy it."

"I was afraid of this." Her teacher sighed. "He's right about one thing - as King, he needs a wife to stabilize his rule. The Jarls must be pressuring him to marry and provide an heir."

"Well, it sure as hell is not going to be me." Anna said.

"I don't blame you, but watch your back. Hans was never one to forgive a perceived slight." Gerda warned.

"Yeah, Hans said pretty much the same thing." She sighed.

* * *

The next two days were fortunately quiet. Hans left the Seers alone, no more 'discussions', no invitations to dinner. Only a few cold glares, and she could live with those. Anna was quietly thrilled that the King was no longer hanging around her all day long. She knew it couldn't last, but it was still a nice change of pace.

Added to that, the weather was the nicest she'd experienced since she had been drawn to this world. It was still cooler than she expected summer to be, more like what she'd consider early spring or so, but it still felt good. And with no rain, the ground had dried out from mud to... less squishy mud.

Aside from Hans, the only thing threatening to bring down her mood was the news that thanks to the improvement in the weather, they would be joining the main force of the army tomorrow. She wasn't looking forward to the implications that brought. If she was unlucky...

Yeah, she didn't want to think about that very much. She didn't like that she would probably be in a real battle soon. She...

 _No point worrying about that now. I can't really do anything about it anyway. I'm stuck here, and after all that Gerda has shown me, I can't turn away and not help. I still don't know what I can do, why Gerda's spell chose me, but I'm going to do everything I can. Heh. Action Hero Anna... Never would have pictured this for myself_.

That evening, the mood in camp was muted. Even Hans' loathing had simmered down a little as the reality of what they would face the next day overshadowed them. Gerda and Kai were also quiet, though there was a current of confidence in their bearings. They'd both been to war when they were younger, and while they were still worried, they knew what was coming.

She ate with Gerda, Kai and the other Seers that evening. Most of the other Seers would be splitting off the next day to join various units with the army, but Anna and Gerda were staying with the royal detatchment. Gerda, as the only Elder, went over their assignments one last time, reminding everyone that despite what the King might say, their primary duty was to find out anything they could about the weather and how to fix it.

"Are you okay, Anna?" Kai asked her while his wife was talking with one of the other Seers.

"No... and yes. Oh hell, I don't know, Kai. I honestly don't know how I'm feeling right now, or how I should be feeling. I'm worried, but I'm not scared. It... it still doesn't feel real yet, you know?" Anna said.

"You want it to be done with." Kai said. "Just have it over, so you don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Exactly." She agreed. "It's so weird. I don't want to be in a war, but I want to get it done with."

"You'll be fine. You have made substantial progress in your training, I'm proud of how much you've accomplished. Also, unlike with the bandits, we won't be at the forefront of the fighting. We'll be back with the royal contingent, the most protected part of the army." He grinned. "I'm old enough to admit that I'm fine with others having all the glory."

"Thanks, Kai."

* * *

The army filled the plains, tents and banners and troops and horses as far as her eyes could see. Even from miles away, she could hear the low rumble of activity echoing from the assembly. She could also smell the camp from here. It was totally different being here in person - nothing like watching _Lord of the Rings_.

Dark clouds sat low on the northeastern horizon, looking ominous and threatening. Anna felt a shiver of fear run through her just looking at it. Those clouds weren't moving, and she could just barely make out snow falling from them. There was something unnatural about how still and uniform they were. _I might not be a real Seer, but even I can tell those are just plain wrong. They're just hanging there, despite the wind. And they make a perfect line there, just past that ridge. How are we going to stop someone who can do that_?

"Gerda..." Her voice was softer than she intended.

"I know." Her teacher was just as quiet. "I can feel it, even from here. Those clouds reek of magic."

"How are we going to do anything about _that_?" Anna breathed.

"I can't say. We'll need to get a closer look before I can even begin to come up with something." Gerda told her.

"I was afraid you were going to say that." She complained.

"I'm not looking forward to it either. The sheer amount of power it must take to affect the weather like this..." The older woman frowned. "The spell that I used to bring you here is tiny compared that."

"Gerda, I think... I think I can feel it, sorta. Like lines of ice sitting there behind the clouds." Anna said.

"I would be surprised if you couldn't. Anyone with even a touch of the gift can probably feel that, and after the training I've given you, you know how to sense it." Her teacher smiled. "It's good you finally are open to it."

"You said I would eventually be able to feel it, and yeah I am. It creeps me out."

"Me too, Anna."

"Can we really stop it?" She asked.

"I don't know."

* * *

The next day, the weather took a turn for the worse. By the time the sun had crested the mountains, a steady flurry was falling over the camp. And those dark clouds still hung to the north. They hadn't changed since yesterday, but somehow they seemed even more threatening. The fact that they hadn't moved at all...

Anna turned her attention to the army. She saw that the troops were already preparing to move out. If the estimates were right, they'd make contact with the Queen's forces some time in the afternoon. At least she wouldn't be on the front lines today, though she still couldn't help worrying about the situation. If Hans was right, they had an opportunity to cut off the main thrust of the Queen's army.

If Hans was right.

Anna still felt like she and Gerda and the other Seers were missing something important here. Of course Hans had to do something to stop _that_ , but somehow she doubted he was telling them everything. More, she expected him to take some form of revenge for her rejection of his offer. No way a guy as arrogant as Hans would let that go.

 _Hostile army in front, possessive jerk behind me... Today is going to be fun fun fun..._

She joined Gerda and Kai, the latter helping her with her armor. After he was finished, she belted on her sword and dagger. She also gratefully accepted the canteen and bundle of food. Kai warned her that they might not get a chance to get anything before dark, and she believed him. She also made sure she had her cloak as well. With the clouds as they were, she wanted to have it in case she needed it.

"You can do this, Anna." Gerda patted her shoulder.

"I hope so. I -"

"Seers." Hans' voice interrupted her. His tone had a cold note to it that had nothing to do with the weather. "We will be moving out. I hope you are ready."

"We will join you presently." Gerda told him.

"I won't wait forever." He turned and rode off, his guards following them.

"Always a pleasure." Anna muttered under her breath.

She mounted her horse and fell in with Kai and Gerda. The older man took point, constantly scanning around them even though they were well behind the front lines. She was reassured that if she had to do this, she was with friends who would watch her back. She took a breath and checked her sword again. "I'm ready."

The next few hours were tense, as the royal column made its way towards the ridgeline where the dark clouds hung. The temperature dropped noticeably the closer they got to those clouds, though the chill she felt had nothing to do with the weather. The ominous thrum of ice magic made her teeth ache.

"Now that we're closer, can you do anything about it?" Anna asked.

"No. Maybe with the other Seers, but... no. This is too big right now. Maybe if I hadn't cast that other spell..." She trailed off with a glance at Anna.

"Sorry..." She apologized.

"I didn't mean it like that, Anna. Honestly, I doubt I could stop this even if I had my full strength back, so don't feel bad." Gerda smiled. "Honestly, after seeing it up close now, I'm glad you're here."

Anna returned the smile and was about to say something, when noise ahead of them caught her attention. She heard fighting, yells and roars all mingling together in an echoing rumble that was getting louder and louder. Suddenly, a large blur shot past them, smashing a tree to bits in a spray of splinters, snow and leaves. Another blur took out two of the royal guards and gave Anna a look at what had happened.

A huge chunk of ice lay half buried in the ground. Jagged pieces of it dug into the soil at places and a thin glaze of red coated parts of it. She turned her attention from it as another whistled in towards the royal party.

"Your Majesty, we must fall back!" The commander of the guards shouted, guiding his horse to block Hans'. "Our lines are failing!"

Hans looked past the man for a moment before giving a reluctant nod. "Sound the retreat, but we are not running. If the troops see me fleeing, our whole line will break."

"Sound retreat!" One of the generals called.

She turned her horse around and started after Kai and Gerda. The older man kept watching behind them, and Anna started to as well. A few more ice boulders streaked by, but they slowly put some distance between themselves and the fighting.

They had almost made it to the top of the ridge when a massive ice projectile smashed into the path right in the middle of the royal party. Anna's horse reared back, throwing her. She slammed into the ground, a jolt of pain shooting up her leg. She tried to rise, but her ankle throbbed and she collapsed back down.

In a panic, she looked around but couldn't spot Kai or Gerda in the confusion. "Kai! Gerda!" She yelled, but her voice was lost in the chaos.

The only person she did recognize was Hans, who had likewise been thrown from the saddle and landed near her. The king had managed his fall better than she had, and rose to a low crouch, his sword drawn. He peered from side to side, frowning a bit when he spotted Anna but brightening when he saw his horse nearby. He winced a little as he stood up and broke into a sprint. Anna tried again to get up and follow him, but her ankle wouldn't let her. "Hans!"

He didn't answer her until he had mounted and turned the horse away. "You should have accepted my offer, Anna."

"Hans!" She growled and shambled towards him, grasping at his stirrups. "You bastard! Help me!"

"Goodbye, Anna. Die well." The king kicked her hand away and rode off past the bodies and the few surviving guards did their best to follow him.

Scared and angry, Anna looked around again, trying to spot Kai or Gerda or anyone who could help her. She saw nothing of her teachers, and the only royal guard left alive had a spear of ice lodged in his gut. His face was pale and he bled heavily from the wound. From the gurgling sounds he made as he tried to breathe, it must have punctured his lung as well. He reached an unsteady hand towards her, but before he could do any more, the light left his eyes and he slumped down, leaving Anna alone amidst the carnage.

"Oh god..." She pulled herself off the path a bit, back towards the dubious protection of the trees. Grabbing a spear from a nearby corpse of one of the royal guards, she managed to awkwardly pull herself to her feet. Her left ankle still refused to accept her weight, so she figured it was probably broken. She moved deeper into the trees, her progress painfully slow. Her heart hammered in her chest as the sounds of fighting drew closer.

She edged back behind a particularly tall tree, using it to support herself while she fumbled at her belt for her sword. She tried to draw it properly, but it slipped through her fingers in her panic and fell to the ground in a loud crunch of leaves and snow. She winced at the noise as well as her clumsiness. "Fuck!"

Anna managed to retrieve the blade, but as she straightened back up, she noticed that the noise of combat had died off. _'Died off'... yeah, great choice of words there, Summers. I need to find Gerda or Kai or or... anyone who can help me!_

She heard footsteps approaching from somewhere to her left. By the sound of it, several people were headed her way. She shrank back against the tree, using it as well as the spear to help balance herself. Her sword clutched in one hand, she peered around the edge in what she thought was the direction the steps were coming from.

" _Grrrraaaaaaaghh!_ " A huge monster made entirely of snow leaned down, roaring at her.

"Aaaaahhh!" Anna screamed and recoiled from the beast, losing her grip on the spear as her footing gave out under her. She managed to keep her grip on her sword and held it out as a pitiful protection from the monster.

It took a lumbering step around the tree and raised itself to its full height. A small part of her brain not busy panicing guessed that it was probably around twelve feet tall. Then that small part joined the rest as the beast flexed its 'hands', causing long claws of razor sharp ice to sprout from them. It glared down at her and let out another deafening roar.

Calm replaced Anna's terror as the beast advanced slowly towards her, and her sword tumbled from her grasp. She was going to die here, alone in this forest, killed by an ice monster. She started laughing at the cruel humor of the situation. She'd finally managed to get a job she liked, good friends, a life she could be proud of, and now that life was about to be taken from her.

"Marshmallow, stop!" The ice monster stopped in place, the empty pits that were where its eyes should be still hatefully fixed on her. She kept laughing, despite her curiousity at whoever had just ordered the monster to not kill her. _Its name is Marshmallow? I'm gonna die to Marshmallow!_

A young man, probably around her age from the looks of it, stepped to the side of the beast. He peered at her from under his unkempt light brown hair. "She's not a threat to us, leave her alone." He ordered the creature.

The ice beast - Marshmallow - rumbled something that the man apparently understood, because he shook his head. "No, we'll take her with us."

Even though it possessed only rudimentary features, the monster still managed to look disappointed as it retracted its claws and lumbered back the way it had come from. Anna took the opportunity to get a better look at her... rescuer.

He wore a thick cloak, similar in design to hers, and under it, what appeared to be a uniform, though not like any she'd seen so far in Arendelle's forces. He also had a sword, but his was still in its scabbard. His eyes were busy assessing her as well, but his expression seemed relatively friendly.

She shifted closer to where she'd dropped her sword, and his smile fell. "I wouldn't." He warned her. "If anything happens to me, Marshmallow will be back, and he won't stop." Reluctantly, she pushed away from the fallen blade, backing up to the tree so she could sit up better.

He picked up the spear she'd been using as a crutch and examined pennant attached to the head. Sighing in disgust, he tossed it to the side. "Royal Guard but no Hans. That bastard has more luck than even the gods." He squatted down near Anna, carefully out of reach of even her dagger. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me what happened to your King? The Queen was sure we'd get him this time."

"He's not my King." Anna ground out bitterly, absently rubbing the hand Hans had kicked away when he'd left her behind.

"No? You just happened to be riding with his Royal Guard? And carrying their weapons?" He asked her. "Are you his consort then?"

"Ew, no!" Anna protested. "I was..." Her brain worked overtime as she tried to think of something safe to say, as whoever the man was, he obviously worked with the Ice Queen. "Hans betrayed me, left me to die."

"He's betrayed a lot of people." He frowned. "But you didn't answer my question. Why were you with him?"

"I was with my teacher, not Hans."

"Your teacher?" He asked her.

Anna gulped. This might be worse than him thinking she was with Hans, though it might also be better... Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke up. "The Elder Seer Gerda."

"Ah..." The man stood up, looking thoughtful. "That changes things." He walked over to her and extended a hand. "I was going to send you with the other prisoners, but no longer."

She let him help her up, but stumbled at the first step. He looked down at her ankle and nodded sympathetically. He gave a sharp whistle and yelled. "Sven!" He turned to her, his face apologetic. "That looks broken and I'm no healer. You'll have to ride back with me."

"Ride where with you? Who are you? What's going to happen to me?" Now that it appeared that she wasn't going to be killed, the questions burst from her in a rush.

"I'm Kristoff, her Majesty's chief Ice Master." He grinned. "And I'm taking you to talk to the Queen."

* * *

 _Next Chapter: Elsa._

* * *

 _A/N 2: So yeah, I ended up writing Hans a bit different than usual. Since he's a bit older, I tried to imagine him after he'd won the throne from his brothers as well as other opponents. Confident, a bit smug, but still needing to deal with people (since Elsa does have a rather large army on his borders, after all). He doesn't need to trick Anna, but he's still not above using her... and he's still a spiteful bastard._


	5. Ch 05 - The Ice Queen

**Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 5

The Ice Queen

"So, what's your name?" Kristoff asked her as he helped her through the trees towards a clearing.

"Anna." She told him. "Anna Summers."

He burst out laughing. "Really? Oh that's too good."

"Mind letting me in on the joke? What's so funny about my name?" Anna grumped. True, she might be a prisoner, but he wasn't treating her like one... aside from the whole warning about a snow monster that would eat her if she tried anything.

"I'm taking Anna _Summers_ to meet the Ice Queen." He snorted another laugh.

"Okay, maybe it is a little odd." She admitted with a grin. Her smile slipped a little when Kristoff suddenly stopped. "A little warning next time?"

"Sorry, but Sven's here." Kristoff smiled widely at the dopey looking reindeer who trotted up to them. He petted Sven's head, as if the reindeer was nothing more than a huge dog. "Anna, meet Sven, my best friend."

"He's a reindeer." _Maybe going with this guy wasn't the best idea..._

"Well yeah. But that just makes him better than most people." He grinned and the reindeer gave a silly smile of its own.

"Having met Hans, I can't say you're wrong." Anna relaxed a little.

"Let me help you up." Kristoff aided her as she mounted the saddle. His face was serious once she'd gotten situated. "Anna, don't think about trying to ride off. Not only would Sven not cooperate, but Marshmallow has lots of less-friendly brothers out there."

"I wasn't thinking about it." She lied. Well, not anymore anyway.

They rode for a while, heading towards the curtain of snow that was falling at the far treeline. "So, you said you were the Queen's Ice Master, what does that mean?"

"Eh, some of it is that her Majesty's creations actually listen to me usually." Kristoff smiled. "But mostly, it's because I'm her best friend and she trusts me. Her advisors were always nagging that I'm not royal enough or whatever, so she made up the title to shut them up."

The snow was falling heavily around them, and despite Kristoff's warning, Anna considering trying to ride Sven to safety while the snow slowed her captor. However, a glimpse of a lumbering shadow in the storm killed any desire to try it. To cover her thoughts, she decided to go for another question instead. "You can do magic then? If you control them?"

"Nope, I'm as magical as a rock. Er, average rock anyway."

"There are magic rocks?" Anna asked doubtfully.

"Oh yeah, but those are a state secret." He laughed. "You know, you're technically our prisoner, so..."

"Well, you weren't asking me anything, so I thought I might as well."

"I'll let the Queen handle any questioning. That's not really my area." The snow started to lighten a bit as they continued forward. "I'm much more a 'hands on' guy than a 'big picture' one."

"Okay then, why does me being Gerda's student warrant the special treatment? I mean, aren't we still enemies?" Anna risked asking.

"That... falls under something the Queen may decide to tell you." Kristoff hesitated. "I don't mind talking with you, but let's stay away from that stuff for now."

"Sorry. So... how long have you known the Queen then?"

"Since she was five. El -" He cut off. "She was sent away for her own protection, and my father was one of her guardians. We grew up together, she's like a sister."

"Awww." Anna smiled. "That's pretty awesome."

"Uh..." He blushed. "Could you... ah... forget about that 'sent away for protection' bit? That might be a bit too much right now."

"Fair enough." She conceded. She pushed back her hood as the snowfall tapered off. The weather on this side of the clouds was noticeably warmer. A light breeze stirred the trees, and she could see little snow on the ground at all. "Whoah."

"What?" Kristoff asked.

"The weather here... it's so nice." She looked around, and for the most part, the land on this side of the clouds seemed to be experiencing a real summer.

"You can thank the Queen for that." He told her proudly. "Her power lets her push back the winter and keep our lands as they should be."

"But..." Anna remembered all that Gerda taught her. "Isn't she the one causing the winter in the first place?"

Kristoff's face closed up and when he did reply, his tone was cold. "No, she isn't. I think we're done with questions for now."

Anna gulped but remained silent as she rode along beside him.

* * *

The sun was almost touching the horizon and they were still travelling. They'd passed several large gatherings of troops during the day, easily as many as Hans had assembled. If this was only a portion of the Queen's forces, it confirmed Gerda's fears about her numbers. She didn't see any ice monsters, but she figured they were probably back in the snowy area.

The sentries would watch them, but once they recognized Kristoff, they were waved past with few questions beyond some general inquiries about how the battle had gone. He'd wave and reply, but he didn't let them stop for long.

She was about to ask him how much farther he intended to go when her stomach decided to make its presence known. She blushed when Kristoff turned his grin on her. "Sorry, but do you have anything to eat? My supplies got sorta... lost."

"Sure." He dug in his pack and handed up a piece of bread and some cheese. "It's not much, but that should hold you until we get to camp."

"Are we almost there? It's nearly night." Anna asked.

"You should be able to see it from the top of this hill." He nodded along the trail they were following.

Anna followed him, her mind occupied with what might await her when she met the Queen. Clearly, the fact that she was a Seer trainee meant something, but whether that would be a good thing or not, she'd have to see. Also, given Kristoff's reaction, she might not want to ask about the weather, as that seemed to be a sore point.

Sven paused behind Kristoff at the top of the hill, and Anna couldn't blame him. The Queen's 'camp' was more like an actual palace made entirely of ice. It glittered in the late afternoon light, the light catching on the crystalline structure. A delicate fractal snowflake pattern repeated throughout most of the castle. Anna thought that was what pushed it over the edge to being beautiful.

"Whoah... It's like something out of a storybook." Anna breathed.

"Yeah, it's always impressive to see it, though you should see her real palace. That one is a true work of art." Kristoff commented. "She made this one since we decided to stage here this year."

"She made it? All by herself?"

"Yep." He replied proudly. "She created it in one day for us. Her real one took much longer since she had the time really work on it."

"Still... all in one day. That's incredible." _And scary. Very, very scary._

"Well, as you pointed out, it's getting late, and if we want to get there before dark, we need to keep moving." He started walking again, Sven falling in behind him.

When they reached the castle, Anna immediately realized another problem she would have to deal with. Stairs. The gate to the ice palace was at the top of a set of delicate looking stairs. Lots of beautiful, delicate looking stairs that she would have to climb with her broken ankle. _Fuck. Yet another thing that somehow never manages to come up in the fairy tales._

Kristoff heard her sigh and turned around. "What's wrong, Anna?"

"The stairs..." She pointed out.

"Oh. Uh, I guess I'll help you up." He braced her as she dismounted Sven, then handed the reins to one of the guards nearby. "Give him an extra carrot, guys. He's earned it today."

Anna had to smile at how happy Sven seemed at the mention of the word 'carrot'. "Definitely better than the horse I was given."

"Yeah, he's my other best friend. We've been through a lot together."

"It's still a little weird." She couldn't resist saying, but he only grinned wider.

"Wait till you meet my pabbie."

With Kristoff's help, she managed to climb the stairs to the main doors of the ice palace. Guards opened it for them, rewarding her with a view of the entrance chamber... and yet more stairs. Clearly the Queen had designed it specifically to torment those with ankle injuries.

"Hey guys, where is she now?" Kristoff asked one of the guards standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Library, where else?" He shook his head. "She was up early making those boulders, and you know what she's like after that."

"Right, I figured." He stepped aside and gestured to her. "I'll go report to her, I need you guys to help Anna here to one of the guest chambers. Post some guards, and get one of the healers to take a look at her ankle."

"Yessir." The guard gave him a lazy salute. "Miss Anna, let's get you to your rooms and see about your injury."

* * *

Anna took a slow look around the rooms she'd been brought to and whistled softly. Whatever she'd been expecting as a prisoner, it certainly wasn't this. The suite - she really couldn't justify calling it anything else - was gorgeous. And about twice as big as her apartment. The main room had several chairs and a couch, as well as a table, a writing desk, a few bookshelves, and other bits of furniture.

A large canopy bed dominated the bedroom on the left, while a smaller study area occupied the right. There was even a fireplace in each room, though instead of logs, glowing red crystals sat in the alcoves. She guessed magic was used in them somehow, though she certainly couldn't see how.

A knock on the door brought her out of her daze. Kristoff leaned in, escorting a young woman with long brown hair and carrying a small leather case. "Anna, this is Jane, the royal physician. She's going to take a look at your foot while I report to the Queen. I also sent word to the kitchens and they'll have something brought up soon. You should probably get some rest. If I know her, she won't send for you until tomorrow."

"Thanks, Kristoff." Anna smiled. She liked the shaggy man, but it also wouldn't hurt to be friendly for when it was time to escape.

Once he had left, Jane shut the door behind him and turned to Anna, pointing at her ankle. "Right, you. Get on the couch, I need to take a look at that."

"Uh, sure." She hobbled over to the couch and sat down with a sigh of relief. Jane carefully lifted her injured leg and placed a pillow under the foot. She poked and prodded for a bit, noting Anna's various winces.

"Well, it's definitely broken." The brunette opened her satchel and pulled out some bandages. "I'll splint it and bandage it, but you're going to need to stay off it as much as possible until it heals."

"You can't just magic it better or something?" Anna asked.

"I'm no mage." The other woman told her. "I can't 'just magic it'. I'll have a crutch sent up for you, but you're not going to be running any time soon." She shook her head. "Honestly, why does everyone ask that?"

"You live in a literal magic castle made of pure ice. It's a reasonable assumption."

"Oh, fine." Jane said as she started wrapping Anna's foot. "You might have a point there. Now, are there any other injuries I should be aware of?"

"Just a few scrapes, nothing major." Anna told her. "Thank you for fixing this."

"Don't thank me yet. You're looking at a few weeks of hobbling, minimum." Jane smiled. "At least that should put a damper on any escape plans."

"Ah, so you know I'm a..." she prompted.

"A prisoner? Yes, Kristoff told me." The healer replied. "He also said that the Queen would want to deal with you personally."

"How worried should I be?"

"I don't know. I don't know enough about you. What I can say is be honest with her and she'll treat you fairly." Jane rose. "If your bandage slips, ask one of the guards to get me. I hope you get well soon, Anna."

"Thank you, Jane." She watched the brunette leave the room and, a few minutes later, the door opened again as one of the guards delivered the promised crutch. She mumbled a thank you to the woman before the door shut behind her. A little bit after that, the door opened once more, admitting a servant with a tray full of food. He didn't say anything, merely set the tray on the table next to Anna and let himself out of the room.

Her final visitor for the evening was Kristoff. "Anna, I wanted to tell you - the Queen will be sending for you some time tomorrow morning. Until she says otherwise, you're still our guest."

"Guest who can't leave." Anna sighed.

"Well, I could have the guards drag you down to the dungeon if that would make you feel better."

"Nah, I think I'll stick with this." She gestured around the room. "Honestly, this is bigger and nicer than my home."

"Yeah, she likes making nice things. I wish..." He shook his head sadly and returned to the doorway. "Get some rest, tomorrow's going to be a big day for you."

"Thanks, Kristoff."

Anna noticed that several blue crystals had started glowing as the sun set outside. _That's handy. One more perk of living in an honest to god magic castle. I wonder how it works. If I ever figure a way out of here, I'll take one back and get Gerda to tell me. Of course, I first would have to get by the armed guards patrolling this place, find out where exactly I am as well as where Arendelle's army retreated to, get past those storm clouds, the hostile army, and the horde of ice monsters. Oh, and avoid Hans' supporters while I look for the other Seers, none of whom I know except for Snow and the Eldest, and Snow seems to hate me on principle and would probably hand me over to Hans. Piece of cake._

 _If Gerda is even still alive._ That thought soured her mood quite a bit. After the boulder had hit their party, she hadn't seen anything of her teacher or Kai. It was possible they were still out there, but... _Yeah, let's be honest, even if she survived that, would Hans pass up a perfect opportunity to get rid of her? Cause he's such a nice, understanding guy and all._

Anna limped over to her bedroom and sat down on the bed, pulling off her remaining boot. She lay back, sinking into the mattress with a contented sigh. It was, without a doubt, the most comfortable bed ever. She crawled under the covers and, despite her anxiety about tomorrow, quickly found sleep overtaking her...

* * *

"Good morning!" Kristoff knocked on the door as he pushed it open.

"Morning." Anna mumbled. She'd forced herself out of bed, but her ankle was pulsing sharp jolts of pain through her and she was still very worried about what the Queen would decide to do with her.

"Has anyone brought you breakfast? If not, I'll have them send something up for you." He asked.

"I thought I was supposed to meet the Queen?"

"She's with the generals right now, so you have time." He frowned a bit. "I'll have hot water sent up so you can take a bath, too."

Anna blushed a little as she tried to recall the last time she'd been able to take a proper bath. "That's probably a good idea, thank you."

"Jane can redo your bandage afterwards. I'll go send for all that, and I'll be back later to escort you to the Queen."

"Right." Anna gulped.

Jane did arrive a little after breakfast, and helped Anna with her bath, much to her embarrassment. After that, she examined Anna's ankle and rebandaged it. "Looks much better today, though it will still take a while before you're fully healed."

"Hurts like crazy." She complained.

"I can imagine. I'd give you something for it, but it would probably make a bad impression with the Queen if you passed out mid-audience." The brunette grinned. "I'll bring something with me when I check on you this evening."

"I'd appreciate it." Anna said.

"Anyway, I need to get going. I hope your audience goes well." Jane packed up her medical bag and got up to leave.

"Trust me, I do too." She agreed.

* * *

"Anna, it's time." Kristoff called from the door. Anna was a little surprised to see him in an actual uniform. It looked like a much nicer version of what the palace guards wore, though from the way he shifted and tugged at it, he probably didn't wear it unless he had to.

"You look... important this morning." Well, she guessed it was closer to noon or maybe even the afternoon, but she had a firm personal rule that morning lasted until lunchtime. She stood up and used the crutch to hobble over to him.

"Don't say that too loudly or someone might believe you!" He mock-whispered. "The Queen insists I wear this horrid coat when dealing with the generals so they actually listen to me. Of course the only changes are I'm uncomfortable and they have to wait until I'm done speaking to ignore me."

"Why does the Queen let them treat you so terribly?" Anna asked as they slowly made their way down the halls.

"Oh, she doesn't like them much either, but even she can't run everything by herself. And honestly, we both prefer that they don't take me too seriously. It lets me hear things to help her." He replied. "Also, it gives the various clans a harmless outlet for their politics and other nonsense. They get to feel involved, even though the Queen has the final say on everything."

"You're being awfully open with the information this morning." Anna smirked. "I thought I was your prisoner."

"Guest who isn't allowed to leave." He clarified.

"Right, that."

"Well, it's safe to talk here." He waved around the halls. "No one can get in or out unless the Queen wants them to."

"That's a little creepy." She admitted.

"It's also very safe. Hans has tried sending assassins before."

"That I can believe." Anna agreed venomously.

"What did he do to make you hate him like this?" Kristoff asked her.

"Tried to use me for political gains, then when I didn't cooperate, he left me to die while the army retreated." She growled.

"Sounds like him."

"I take it there's more to this than just a few assassins."

"Yes, but _that_ is definitely up to the Queen to tell you more. Sorry."

"I understand."

* * *

"Here we are." Kristoff stopped them in front of elegant double doors. He turned to face Anna instead of opening them. "Look, I don't think you will, but please please please don't do anything stupid, okay?"

She gestured to her crutch with her free hand. "Do I look like I'd try anything dumb?"

"No, but... I think you're a good person, Anna, but you come from Hans' side. Last year, he sent an ambassador who tried to kill her during dinner with a fork."

"A fork?"

"Yeah, it didn't work. He's tried others too. I personally don't think you're one of those, but I wanted to warn you."

"I'm not going to try anything, honest."

"Okay." He took a deep breath and pushed open the right door. "Here goes."

The room was not at all what Anna was expecting. After Hans, she'd thought the Queen would summon her to a throne room or grand meeting chamber or... or... something! Instead, she found herself in a large library. Tall windows provided ample light, causing the tables to sparkle. Shelves lined the walls, overflowing with books. Several couches sat under the windows, to take advantage of the light.

Anna noticed all that, but only dwelled on it for a moment. Seated on one of the couches, her feet tucked under her as she read a book, was a blonde woman who looked to be about Anna's age. She was wearing a light blue dress - a treacherous part of Anna called it 'ice blue', but she squashed that bit down, as now was so not the time for a giggle fit. Her platinum blonde hair was woven into a neat braid that hung over one shoulder. She didn't have a crown on, but something about her bearing said she didn't really need one either. Piercing blue eyes looked up from the book, right at Anna.

She gulped and managed an awkward step into the room. Of all the things she'd expected from meeting the Ice Queen, this had not been in it at all. If she didn't know better, the blonde could have been one more grad student from the university, taking advantage of the quiet to get some studying done.

"Is this her, Kris?" The Queen's voice was... gorgeous, for lack of a better word. It was light and musical and... beautiful.

"Yes, it is." He did a half-bow. "Anna Summers, may I present Queen Elsa, rightful ruler of Arendelle. Elsa, this is Anna."

"I - ah, p-pleased to meet you." Anna stammered as she copied Kristoff's bow. _Elsa? Is she the Princess Elsa that Gerda told me about? But Gerda never met her, so even if she is, how would she know?_

The Queen - _Elsa_ \- inclined her head, not so much a return bow as an acknowledgement. She continued to stare at Anna, until the redhead started to get really uncomfortable. _Damn it, Kristoff said not to do anything stupid, but my ankle is killing me!_ "Ah, El - Queen Elsa, may I sit? My ankle really hurts."

A small smile played across the Queen's face as she gestured towards the other couch across from her. "Help her over there, Kris."

"Of course." He guided Anna through the room towards the couch. As they walked, he leaned down a little to whisper quietly. "You're supposed to wait for her to speak first, or at least tell you it's okay to speak."

"Sorry, but I figured collapsing on the carpet would have been even worse." She whispered back. "Is she always so casual?"

"It depends, but it's usually a good thing." They had arrived at the couch and he helped her sit down before setting her crutch nearby in easy reach. "Good luck, Anna. Please, just be honest with her." He raised his voice to normal levels as he walked back to the door. "Ladies, I'll be outside if you need me."

Elsa nodded and turned her attention fully towards Anna. "So Anna, Kristoff told me that you are a student of Elder Gerda. I wasn't aware she had taken another student."

"Ah, I just started studying with her, Els - ah... that is Queen... ah, what do I call you?" She asked, red faced.

The Queen's lips had quirked up into a small smile, and Anna got the distinct impression that she was trying not to giggle. "Most people go with 'Your Majesty' or 'Queen Elsa'."

"I can work with that, uh, Queen Elsa." She fumbled a bit with the title. "How do you know about Gerda?"

The Queen didn't answer, though her smile slipped a little. _Crap, Kristoff warned me not to be stupid!_ Elsa glanced away for a moment before returning her attention to Anna. "Have the Seers allied with Hans? Is that why you were with his army?"

"No, we're not part of his army. He invited us along to observe, uh, stuff." She hastily edited her words.

"Stuff." The blonde repeated. "And that stuff would be me, I assume?"

"Uh..."

"Were you sent here to try to kill me? Hans has tried that before, but never with a Seer's aid."

"No, we were just there to observe and learn, really!" Anna protested. _Crap crap crap! Stupid Hans! He's not even here and he's still doing his best to get me killed!_

"Observe what?" Elsa demanded. "If you're not his, why would Hans even allow you along? That snake doesn't trust anyone."

"Ah..." She stammered. All of a sudden, Elsa seemed a lot less like a friendly grad student and a lot more like the Ice Queen.

"Are the Seers going to ally with him? Why else would you help him?"

"We're not! We just wanted to know how to stop your winter!" Anna blurted. Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd just said and she snapped her mouth shut.

"Stop my winter?" Elsa leaned back, her voice now thoughtful instead of threatening. She turned to the door and called. "Kristoff!"

"Yes, Elsa?" He frowned a little as he looked inside, but relaxed when he spotted Anna unharmed.

"Did you know about this?" A small giggle escaped the Queen. "She says they want to stop _my_ winter."

"Yeah, she told me."

"Excuse me, Queen Elsa, what's so funny?" Anna asked.

The Queen shook her head, still smiling a bit. "You should know, Anna, most of my generals and advisors think you're another assassin, as why else would the Seers work with Hans of all people. They think I should have had you executed instead of meeting with you."

"Uh..."

"The rest of them don't believe that the Seers are allied with Hans, but think I should send a message to them so that they stay out of this. They think you should be executed for interfering." Elsa continued.

"Um..." Anna paled.

"And now you're here saying that you want to stop the unnatural winter." The blonde stared at her. "Well..."

"Y-yes?"

"Kristoff, take her back to her rooms." She stared at Anna. "I need to consider this matter carefully. I'll let you know what I decide tomorrow."

"Of course, Elsa." He helped Anna up and escorted her from the library.

"What the hell was that?" She demanded once they were back in the hall. "She's thinking about having me... I thought you said... She really would... Holy crap!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about the meeting and what her advisors said, but she had to see you as you are, with no preparation. Like I said, I don't think you're with Hans, but... She's the Queen, Anna. She has to do what's best for her people."

"Yes, but..."

"I'm sorry, Anna."

* * *

Anna sat on her bed, still in shock. This was, in many ways, worse than before the battle or even being abandoned in the woods. Now, she was alone and nothing she could do would change what was going to happen to her tomorrow. One of her guards had brought in a plate with dinner, but she hadn't touched it. She didn't have much of an appetite.

She lay down on the bed, but sleep was slow to come. When it finally did, it was fitful and interrupted by numerous nightmares. When she woke up in the morning, the sun was well above the horizon and a cooling plate of food was waiting for her in the main room. She picked at it and managed to eat a few things, but even that much left her stomach queasy.

The morning passed agonizingly slowly. No guards came for her, no Kristoff, no Jane. She browsed the books, but that failed to take her mind off her situation. A guard delivered another meal for her around noon, but clearly had orders about speaking to Anna, because she didn't reply to anything the redhead said.

When the guard returned that evening with her dinner, Anna hobbled her way between the woman and the door. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but I want to see Kristoff or the Queen or someone who can tell me what's going to happen to me. So keep silent if you have to, but pass that on to someone, okay?"

She estimated that it was about an hour later when Kristoff opened the door. He gave his half-bow and escorted Elsa into the room. She looked much different than yesterday - wearing a full gown as well as a tiara and gloves and even a velvet cape. She also had a tired, angry expression on her face suggesting that she'd had a long day that still wasn't over yet. _Okay, maybe this wasn't the best idea..._

"Why did you ask to see me, Anna?" The blonde snapped out, though her tone was more exhausted than heated.

"You said... you told me you'd let me know what you decided to do with me today." Part of her really didn't want to know, especially if it ended up being execution, but her frazzled nerves insisted she ask anyway.

"Oh, that." The Queen sighed. "I'm sorry, Anna. Hans launched another offensive this morning and we've been busy coordinating a response. I haven't had time to give your case the attention it deserves. I'll get to it when I can. In the mean time, sleep well and focus on resting your ankle. Kris, can you have Jane up here again?" He nodded and the Queen turned to leave. "Good night, Anna."

Kristoff stepped out for a moment but returned. "I really am sorry, Anna. It's been crazy today. We were so busy I didn't even remember until nearly noon, and even then she needed me to personally deliver a few orders."

"She fucking _Princess Brided_ me!" Anna growled. " 'Good night Wesley, sleep well, I'll most likely kill you in the morning'."

"What princess? And who's Wesley?" He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"It's a... story. Never mind." Explaining movies would probably take way more effort than she wanted right now, though she could likely fudge a lot of it by saying ' _it's magic_ ' and he'd accept that. That might be an amusing conversation for another day.

"Look, honestly I don't think she's going to order that." He smiled. "Seriously, I'll try to have a talk with her if we have the time, but for now, get some rest. Jane should be here soon to check on you."

The healer changed her bandage again, but frowned at the now-cold plate of food still sitting untouched on the table. "I'll send word to the kitchens for another dinner for you. You need to eat if you're going to heal."

"I wasn't hungry." Anna replied defensively.

"Lovely for you. You're going to eat anyway." Jane told her firmly.

Once she'd been fed and helped into bed, she found herself drifting off to sleep. Apparently all her worry and not sleeping last night had caught up with her, because she easily fell asleep...

* * *

"Oh come on!" Anna sat up in her own bed, back in her apartment. However, it seemed like Gerda's theory was accurate. Her ankle throbbed, not as bad as when she first broke it, but it still hurt. "This is so not fair."

She reached down and felt... yep, still swollen and painful. She sighed and reached over to her dresser for her phone. "Hey Ari, I need a favor..."

About twenty minutes later, Ariel knocked on her door before letting herself in. "Wow, I guess you really didn't want to go to the damn Gala."

"Funny." Anna complained. "Can you help me get to the hospital?"

"How did you manage this? Did you go skiing last night and not tell me?"

"I... I broke it when an ice boulder conjured by the Frost Queen scared my horse and caused him to throw me. Oh, and the King left me to die, so I couldn't get any help for it until now." She said.

"That is so damn lame." Ariel rolled her eyes. "What really happened? Or are you too embarrassed to tell me the truth?"

"Fine, I slipped in the shower, happy?" Anna lied. "Can we go to the hospital now?"

"Yeah, sure." The other redhead helped her down to her truck and assisted her getting in. She made good time to the hospital and sat with Anna while they waited for a doctor to see them.

The doctor told her more or less the same thing that Jane did, though he at least gave her a nice brace for it as well as some pretty awesome painkillers. Ariel drove her back home and promised to tell Weselton about her injury. "Take care of yourself, Anna."

"I will, and thanks for this, Ari." Anna smiled.

"What are friends for?" Ariel gave her a quick hug. "Feel better, and don't hesitate to call if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."

"And I'll check in on you tomorrow. Hope the rest of your day goes better." Her friend left with a wave.

* * *

Anna woke up back in her rooms in the Ice Queen's palace with a sigh of resignation. A part of her had hoped she'd be back in Gerda's cabin, but apparently it didn't work that way. _At least I'm not in Hans' castle. That would be so very much worse._

As had happened yesterday, a guard brought her breakfast to her. This time, however, the woman talked to her. "I have a message from her Majesty. She will send someone to collect you for an audience after noon."

"Audience?" Anna repeated, and the guard nodded. "Okay, I'll be ready."

She went back to the bedroom and searched the wardrobe for a bit, settling on a green dress that wasn't long enough for her to trip over. It also matched her eyes, which was a nice bonus. She put her hair into two braids, the best she could do by herself. Finally, she found a pair of comfortable shoes, and put one on her uninjured foot.

She appraised herself in the mirror. Considering the circumstances, she thought this was probably the best she could hope for. Maybe it wouldn't matter, but it gave her a small way to feel in control.

Once again, Anna was led through the halls to the library, though she took it as a good sign this time. Hopefully it meant Elsa wouldn't... do anything drastic to her. The guard opened the door for her, but didn't follow her in. _Also a good sign._

Elsa was once again on the couch, this time leafing through a stack of papers, signing some, marking others, even tearing up a few. She was wearing a light purple dress this time, nothing as formal as yesterday, but it still somehow managed to look elegant on her. She waved for the guard to close the door before gesturing towards the other couch. "Have a seat, Anna."

"Thank you... Queen Elsa." She sat down with a sigh of relief. "Have you, ah... that is, what did... um... what's gonna happen to me?"

"After some consideration, I've decided you aren't working for Hans. Further, I doubt the Seers would ally with him either, no matter what my advisors might suggest. So for the time being, you will remain as our guest." The Queen smiled slightly. "Is that answer enough for you?"

"Uh... yeah, thank you." She smiled back at the blonde, relief making her sink back on the couch. "That's... thank you, Elsa." She flinched as soon as she'd said it. "I mean, Queen Elsa, sorry! I forgot! I'm still not used to all these titles. So stupid! Not you. I didn't mean you're stupid. I'm stupid, you're gorgeous." _Wait, what?_ "Sorry, I didn't mean that. Not that you're not beautiful, you totally are. I wasn't supposed to say that."

Elsa stared at her for a moment then started laughing. The Ice Queen, the woman who she'd been scared of for the past few days was leaning back on her couch, laughing, a bright smile on her face.

When she finally got control of herself, she was still smiling. "Anna... You..."

"Sorry, my mom always says my mouth speaks without consulting my brain half the time." _If she's laughing and smiling like that, she can't be that mad_.

"It's fine." The Queen grinned. "Too many people see only my title, it's nice every now and then to just be Elsa."

"So you're not mad?" Anna felt the tension leave her body.

"No. In fact, when it's just the two of us, why don't you call me Elsa?"

"Um, okay... Elsa." She finally let herself relax. "Is it okay to ask why, though?"

The Queen thought for a while and frowned. "I... don't really have many people I can talk to. Talk to and have a real conversation, I mean. Kristoff and Merida of course, maybe Jane. That's about it. With everyone else, I have to be the Queen. I think with you, I won't have to."

"Even though you were going to have me executed?" Anna asked, smiling softly.

"I'm so sorry about that." Elsa said. "I needed to test your reactions, I had to be sure you weren't one of Hans' minions. Honestly, I believed Kris when he said you weren't but I had to _know_."

"Well, I guess I can forgive you, if you really didn't mean it." She allowed. "You didn't mean it, right?"

"I didn't." The Queen stood up. "I have things I need to take care of, but why don't you join me for dinner? I can't say when that will be, but I would like you to come."

"Uh, sure. I'd like that, Elsa." She smiled. "Do I -"

"You don't need to dress up or anything. It's just casual." Elsa extended a hand to help Anna up. She was surprised at how soft the Queen's skin was. And warm. She expected the Ice Queen to feel, well... icy. But she felt like any other woman. "Unless it's a state dinner, I like to keep meals small. It's a nice break from the majority of my day."

"That sounds really nice." Anna took the crutch from Elsa when the blonde handed it to her. "Thank you."

"I'll see you tonight. Oh, I'll leave word with the guards - if you need anything, or want to go anywhere, let them know." Elsa walked out, her 'Queen' face on.

Once she was back to her rooms, Anna sank down into the chair. The room seemed completely different now that she was no longer a prisoner. Elsa said she was a guest, but she also wanted Anna to... talk with her? The Queen admitting that she had very few friends? _Yeah, what's up with that? She seemed almost... lonely. I feel bad for her. And her reaction to when I mentioned the weather the other day was odd. It was like she expected me to know something about it._

Anna had no clue what to do now. If Gerda were here... Well, that was useless to think about. She didn't even know if her teacher was still alive, let alone where she might be. She had no idea how to even start finding her. It hurt to think, but she needed to move on, focus on what she could do now.

 _Step one - figure out what Elsa wants from me. I mean, we were, okay not enemies, but certainly not allies either. And now she's just giving me free access to her castle and inviting me to dinner? That's so weird._

 _Step two - use this opportunity to find out more about what's wrong with the weather. Elsa has to know something about it. If she's causing it... Well, I need to find out more before I do anything. And that's if I can figure out what I can do about it, anyway._

 _Step three - no damn clue. Step one and step two are gonna be big enough problems, I'll figure out step three later._

Now that she had half-a-plan at least, she felt a bit better.

* * *

 _Next Chapter: Dinner Trouble_

* * *

 _A/N: So yeah, Elsa shows up, but she needs to know whose side Anna is on. Poor Anna, things are just gonna get more complicated for her._


	6. Ch 06 - Dinner Plans

**Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 06

Dinner Plans

Anna rested on the couch, trying to read one of the books in her room, but she just couldn't concentrate right now. _So I'm going to dinner with the Ice Queen... No, wait, I'm joining Elsa for dinner. That's different than dinner with the Ice Queen, right?_

She wished she could talk to Ariel, but that was impossible at the moment. She asked one of the guards where Kristoff was, only to discover that he was out on an errand for the Queen and likely wouldn't be back for a day or two. So she decided to ask Jane. The healer had been friendly, if a little distant, and hopefully she would be able to clue Anna in on what Elsa might expect.

Anna settled back on the couch while she waited for the healer. It would be nice if Jane could give her some advice, so that she wouldn't have to feel her way blind through yet another conversation with Elsa.

"Hello Anna." Jane entered the room. The brunette was smiling widely.

"Hey Jane, you look happy today." Anna greeted her.

"My husband's unit sent word that they were victorious. He'll be coming home in a day or two." The healer told her.

"Nice, I'm glad he's okay." She said.

"I am too, of course." Jane smiled.

"Tell me about him." Anna asked the brunette. It wasn't what she'd intended to talk about, but Jane was about the only friend beside Kristoff she had here. Well, sort-of-friend.

"Tarzan is one of the Queen's leaders. It's actually how I met him. His clan lived in the southern forest, but when Hans' armies started clearing it, they were driven out and had to flee north. The Queen took them in and protected them while they resettled." The healer said. "I met him while I worked with the clan. He's smart and fun and brave..." She continued for a while, telling Anna all about how they fell in love and eventually married. Anna _awww_ ed and melted at various parts of the story, especially when Jane helped Tarzan free his clan from a crazy hunter sent by Hans to capture them. _Why can't I find someone like that?_ "...so what about you, Anna? Are you married?"

"Not anymore." She replied firmly.

"What happened?" Jane inquired.

"Well, Adam was..." Anna found herself launching into that story. It felt good to be able to tell someone else, someone who, unlike Ariel, probably wouldn't be trying to set her up on dates half the time.

"I don't blame you for leaving him." Jane commented when she was done. "I'm only surprised you didn't do more."

"So am I, sometimes." She admitted.

"And now?" The brunette asked.

"Now? I'm sorta stuck here, if you haven't noticed. If you want to know my future plans, ask Elsa." Anna gulped and hastily continued. "I mean the Queen! Queen Elsa, she says I'm staying here as a guest."

" 'Elsa', is it?" Jane smirked.

"She told me to call her that." She protested, then froze. "Oh crap! Wait, I'm only supposed to when we're alone. Please don't tell her!"

"Anna, relax." The brunette laughed. "She told us about it last night."

"Oh." Anna sat back. At least she now had an opening to ask what she had wanted to find out. "In that case, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?" The healer's smile grew wider.

"So apparently now that I'm a guest instead of a prisoner, she wants me to join her for dinner, and I... well, let's just say having dinner with the Queen is not something I expected to happen, ever." She told the other woman. "I wanted to ask, what is she expecting?"

Jane sat still for a while, and Anna was about to apologize for making a mistake when the brunette finally spoke. "I can't answer for her, but if I had to guess, I would say she thinks she can talk with you without having to be the Queen all the time. That's pretty rare for her. Honestly, I don't think she's expecting anything more than a chance to be Elsa instead of the Queen."

"Yeah, but I don't want to mess up or anything. She's still, well, the Queen, and what if I drop something or spill or the room catches on fire?" Anna fretted.

"You realize we live in a palace made of ice, right?" Jane raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I doubt the room will spontaneously combust."

"If anyone could manage it, it's me." She smiled.

The brunette laughed. "Somehow, I can believe it. Anyway, my advice would be to just relax and be honest. She's not looking for another courtier. She needs someone who can be open with her."

"Oh, I think I can do that. I'm an expert at speaking without thinking first." Anna laughed too.

"I'm sure." Jane grinned.

"Thank you for the help, I'll try not to screw things up too badly." She promised.

* * *

Anna poked at her food, trying her best to pretend like she wasn't as nervous as if she was on a job interview. The Queen was sitting across from her, eating daintily with an easy grace that Anna envied deeply. _I bet_ she _never spills her drink or trips over the rugs. I feel like a total klutz just looking at her. I wish I could have half of that._ She sighed and did her best to follow Elsa's example.

"Anna, is everything all right? Is the food not to your liking?" Elsa spoke up.

"It's fine, your - Elsa..." She corrected herself. She smiled bravely and took a bite to show the Queen that she was truly fine with the food. It wasn't too hard to fake that part at least - the fish was amazing, cooked to perfection. The previous courses had been likewise excellent. If anything, it was probably the best food Anna had ever eaten. Howver, she was having a tough time enjoying it, as she still wanted to figure out why the Queen would choose her for this.

"Jane told me you talked with her today." The Queen tried again.

Anna blushed a little. "Ah, sorry, should I not have? I was... nervous."

"So she told me." Elsa smiled reassuringly. "Anna, I'm not going to hurt you. I meant what I said, I'd like us to be able to talk without having to be the Queen."

"Then can I ask - why me? You have Kristoff, and Jane seems to be a friend too. I'm... Well, I was with the Seers and you don't seem to trust them." She asked.

Elsa thought about it for a moment. "The simple answer would be that too often they see the Queen instead of me. Even Kristoff still has trouble with it at times, and he's known me most of my life. But not you, I think. Tell me, what did you think when you first saw me in the library?"

"Uh... I thought you were a student." Anna admitted. "I wasn't expecting the Ice Queen to be all casual on a couch."

"That was the point." The blonde smiled. "I figured it might unbalance you if you were looking to meet the Ice Queen. It seems like it worked. Honestly, even with what Kristoff told me, I didn't know what to think."

"If it helps, I didn't know what to think either." She said.

"Well, I can say I'm glad you're not with Hans." Elsa told her.

"So what's the deal with you two anyway? I feel like I have only half the story here." Anna asked.

"Aside from us being at war?" The Queen raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe it is a dumb question." She replied.

"I suppose I understand your confusion." Elsa sighed. "I... Maybe another time I'll tell you more? It's not something I'm used to talking about. Let's just say that my history with Hans goes back a long time. And none of it was very pleasant."

"When you're ready." Anna said. "Um, can I ask this at least? Kristoff announced you as the Queen of Arendelle... are you the same Elsa as the princess that Gerda told me about?"

The blonde's face locked up and she stood abruptly. "This dinner is over. Good night, Anna." She said angrily. Without waiting for a reply, she walked briskly from the room.

 _Right, no need to ask about this one, I messed up big time. I should have left it alone, but I had to know. And while she might not have said anything, her reaction was one hell of an answer. So yeah, at least one riddle solved for Gerda. Elsa is almost certainly the princess who disappeared. The one she told me about. I guess Gerda was wrong about her having been killed by her stepmother._

Anna sat at the table for a while before collecting her crutch and limping back to her room. Now she just needed a way to apologize to the queen.

* * *

The next day passed very slowly. The morning dragged while she waited for someone, anyone, to stop by or send word to her or... or... something! Anna wished she had some idea what Elsa was thinking right now, because her mind kept imagining the Queen angrily ordering the guards to drag her away, or her getting sent off into exile. And one crazy one of her getting sucked into a giant magic whirlpool (or what she imagined one to be at any rate) and winding up back in her world where Weselton immediately fired her. While that one was extremely unlikely, it still bothered her even thinking about it.

Okay, so the whole thing was her fault for asking one more question than she should have, especially since Elsa had said she didn't want to talk about it. And maybe she could have found a better way to get information than bluntly asking. But at least she confirmed one piece of the puzzle. If Elsa truly was the missing princess, of course Hans would want her dead.

That still left the question of what was going on with the weather. Was Elsa really behind it? If she was, why was she doing it? And what could Anna do to stop it? Of course, Elsa might not be the one behind it, either. If she wasn't, Anna needed to know who else might be. Hans' name immediately sprung to mind, but she thought that was unlikely. The unnatural winter was hurting his part of Arendelle far worse than Elsa's, and she really couldn't picture someone as egotistical as him doing that. Not to mention, he didn't have the magic to do it anyway.

That thought brought Anna up short. She'd gone along with Gerda's belief that Elsa was the one causing the winter with her powers, but was that even true? Sure, Kristoff had said the Queen had made the castle, but so far Anna had yet to see any hint that Elsa had magic. _I need to find that out first. I keep assuming that everything I was told is true, but I just don't know any more. Gerda was wrong about the princess dying, what else was she mistaken about?_

Anna slumped back on the couch with a sigh. _That_ would certainly be a fun conversation with the Queen. " _Hey Elsa, I know I pissed you off, but can you do some magic for me so I can find out if you're the one who's going to destroy the kingdom?_ "

A knock at the door brought her out of her musings. "Hey Anna." Kristoff greeted her from the doorway.

"Kristoff." She waved. "Good to see you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it wasn't as bad as we thought. Hans launched some small raids to keep us busy while his main forces pulled back." His smile slipped a little. "I heard about your dinner with Elsa."

"Oh." She frowned.

"She really doesn't like talking about what happened with Hans." He continued. "Especially after..."

"After what?" Anna prompted. "I really need know. I can't keep fumbling around blind like this, Kristoff. I messed up last night, I don't want to do that again."

"Fine, but you can't tell her about this, okay?" Kristoff stared at her until she nodded agreement. "It was about six years ago. We received a message from the capital. It was supposedly from Elsa's father, asking for her to come home. Along the way, we were ambushed. We survived, but only thanks to Elsa's magic. One of the enemy, the only one we took prisoner, made a deal with us in exchange for his freedom. He told us who hired him. Hans. He'd even supplied them with the route to wait on."

"And you're sure it was him?" She asked. "Just saying, everything I hear about that family suggests that it could also have been one of the other siblings trying to set him up."

"Trust me, we considered that too. But we still have some friends back in the capital and they did some digging for us. Hans really was behind it. He wanted Elsa out of the way quietly, before he started his push for the throne." He said. "When she survived, it slowed his plans down, but obviously didn't stop them. He's tried a few times since then, but none have come anywhere as close as that."

"I wish I could say that I'm surprised." Anna grumped.

"There's more, but that is for Elsa to tell, not me. I'll talk to her about it though. I think you need to hear it, if you're going to understand." Kristoff sighed. "I can't promise anything, she can be a bit stubborn, especially about this, but I think it might help."

"Thanks." She told him.

"Anyway, I need to go and repack." He headed towards the door.

"You're going back out again? You just got back." Anna said.

"The hazards of being one of the few Elsa trusts." He grinned. "The leaders of the allied clans are arriving soon, and I'm supposed to head out tomorrow and meet them to escort them in. Take care, Anna."

"You too, Kristoff." She waved farewell.

Anna sighed. She'd hoped he would stick around and help her, but that didn't look like it was going to happen. At least he was going to talk to Elsa for her, which might help, but she was certain she needed to apologize as well. She still wanted to know more about her history with Hans, but this time, she wanted to find a way to discuss it without pissing Elsa off further. She also hoped she could find a way to ask the Queen about her magic. She really wanted to see it, and not just to confirm if she was behind the winter.

 _What does ice magic look like anyway? Okay, so it can make stuff like the palace, but I kinda want to see her actually make something. I bet it looks amazing._

* * *

Anna was a little surprised when one of the palace pages delivered the message that Elsa wanted her to join her for dinner again tonight. She checked the wardrobe, and apparently someone had supplied her with several dresses, in addition to a few other outfits. She chose a light blue dress that was shorter than the others, so hopefully she wouldn't trip over it. That would be all she needed - to break her ankle again just when it was starting to feel better.

She made her way slowly to the same room as last night, only needing directions once along the way. She pushed the door open and found Elsa standing nearby, clearly waiting for her. The queen wore a deep purple dress today, cut higher than the one yesterday, as well as the same ice-diamond tiara. However, the sad frown on her face made her look less like a Queen and more like... well, Elsa.

"Anna -" "Elsa -" Both women said.

There was an awkward pause as they both blushed and tried to start over. "I just wanted to say -" "I'm sorry about -"

"Okay, you first then, you're the Queen." Anna declared, winning a small smile from Elsa.

"I wanted to apologize about last night. I'm sorry for ending dinner so rudely. Hans might be a touchy subject, but I shouldn't take it out on you, especially after what he did to you too. I should have expected you to ask about him." The blonde said.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry." Anna protested. "Kristoff warned me that Hans has been... horrible to you, and I should have listened. I keep speaking without thinking. And yeah, I want to know more about Hans, but not until you're ready."

"Anna, I will tell you, it's just... it's personal." The queen sighed. "Not to mention, if i tried to tell you everything he's done, we'd be here a year."

"That bad?" She asked.

"When he started pushing seriously for the throne, he first targetted anyone who might have supported me or was just a friend. He even killed servants just because they served my mother before she died." Elsa told her flatly. "That's just one of the first things he's done. He'll stop at nothing to rule all of Arendelle, and he hates me in particular."

"Why? I mean, if that's okay to ask." Anna stared at the blonde, curious.

"Mostly it's because my claim to the throne is much stronger than his. He would have had to move against me eventually no matter what, given his ambitions." The queen paused, considering. "I don't think his brothers helped much, either. Or his mother. They were all... evil."

"I sort of got that idea from what Gerda told me." She commented. "Did he really kill her?"

"Yes, we're certain of that. He tried to blame it on the cook, but we snuck her out before Hans could put her on trial. She told us about the plot, the poison he used to kill her, everything." Elsa confirmed.

"Why did he kill her?" Anna asked.

"She wanted to use him, to rule from behind the throne. She would have done it with whichever of the brothers won, but Hans figured it out first and acted early." The blonde told her.

"That's... really twisted." She stared. "I mean... wow."

"He also... He's the one who had my foster family killed. Kristoff's parents." Elsa admitted quietly. Anna could hear the obvious pain in her voice. "He..." She trailed off as he voice choked up.

"Elsa, I'm so sorry." Anna reached out, patting the other woman's hand. "I..."

They sat there silently for a while. Anna had figured whatever Hans had done to Elsa had to have been bad, but this was worse than she'd expected. She was still thinking about everything when a soft knock interrupted her musings. Elsa turned to the door. "Come in."

"Elsa, I'm ready to - oh, hello Anna." Kristoff stepped inside. She nodded to him, but couldn't muster up a smile, not after everything she'd learned. "What's wrong, you two?"

"I told her about Hans, Kris." The Queen replied quietly. "Not everything, but... enough."

"Oh." He straightened a bit, tension obvious in his posture. "Good. She should know what that bastard has done to us. I still don't get why you haven't sent word to all the jarls. They'd never support him if they knew."

"We've discussed this." Elsa sighed wearily. "Some would dismiss it as propaganda, while most of the others would simply ignore it or use it for their own ends. Maybe if we had some definite proof, we could try."

"I know, I know." He shook his head wearily. "I just wish we could do something to really hurt him. We're pushing him back, but we both know that's not enough, not with -" He cut off, shooting an unreadable look at Anna.

"We will." The blonde said. "Now what were you going to tell me when you came in here?"

"Ah... right, I'm ready to head out at first light. I still want to take a few of the scouts when I go to meet the clans' representatives. We may have pushed back Hans' attack, but I'd rather be careful." He blushed a little.

"Because Merida is coming with them?" Elsa's voice had a teasing note. "Is that why you're actually wearing your uniform?"

"Maybe." He reddened even more.

"Merida?" Anna asked.

"She's -" The blonde shot Kristoff an amused look. " - the heir to the largest of the northern clans. We've known her for years. She's an... old friend."

"Really?" She smiled as Kristoff's embarrassment grew.

"Oh yes." Elsa confirmed. "She visits at least once or twice a year. It used to be more, but that was before she won the big archery tournament and got out of an arranged marriage contract. Now she has more responsibilities with the clans, since she's the official heir. And she's still unmarried, so her mother is always trying to set something up."

"I have a friend, Ariel, who sounds similar to her mother." Anna smirked.

"Yes, well, I don't really blame Merida for wanting a little freedom. She should be free to choose someone she likes." The blonde nodded towards Kristoff. "Whoever that might be."

"Elsa..." He growled.

"Kris, you're the one who volunteered to go get her. I could have just sent the guards to escort them." Elsa grinned. "I didn't even have pester you about your uniform, for once. I know you hate that thing."

Anna laughed softly. "I don't think it looks that bad."

"That's not the problem." He said seriously. "It _itches_!"

The blonde laughed too. "It still looks good on you. I know Merida will like it too."

"One of these days, Elsa, one of these days..." He growled then broke into a smile of his own. "It's good to see you in a better mood. Try to stay that way, okay?"

"You be careful out there, Kris. You know Hans will be planning some sort of revenge for us soon." The Queen hugged him.

"Always." Kristoff reassured her. He turned to face Anna. "You two be careful too. Especially you, Anna. Once Hans learns you're not dead, he'll want to eliminate you also."

"Me?" She squeaked.

"Oh yes, he's never handled rejection well. And you're a witness to him leaving his troops to die while he retreated. There's no way he can let that stand." He told her. "Trust me, he's not finished. He'll keep after us until we finally take him down for good."

"Wonderful..." Anna muttered. "Well, I think that killed any remaining appetite I had. Is it okay if I go lay down?"

"I'll help Anna back to her room." Kristoff volunteered. He helped her up when Elsa nodded agreement. Once they were out in the corridor he smiled. "Thank you for behaving yourself today, Anna. It's good to see Elsa in a better mood for once."

"Yeah, well, a healthy fear of being beheaded or whatever will do that." Anna grinned back. "Besides, she's not so bad when she's not having to be the Queen."

"Well, keep it up. She might not show it, but she gets lonely too. I think you're good for her." He nodded back towards the room. "She needs all the friends she can get."

"You do know I'm still sorta-kinda a prisoner, right? Or whatever you guys call a guest who can't leave?" She asked. "I mean, okay, she could have treated me a lot worse, but still. I'm a bit nervous around her. It's hard to be friends with someone who seriously debates the merits of having you executed. And I still don't have an answer on the weather situation, either. Everyone says it's her, and she's never said otherwise."

"It's not her." He replied, looking away. "We don't know who or what is causing it, but it's not her. Her magic is all that's keeping the winter away from our lands. I know you don't believe me, but that's the truth."

"Then why? Why won't she just say it?" Anna growled, frustrated. "I'm so tired of only getting half the damn story all the time. You say I should trust her, be her friend, then I need to know this. Tell me."

He looked around, making sure that no one else was nearby. Finally, he glared her way. "Fine. I probably shouldn't, but I guess you need to know. It's a touchy subject with her because her powers are why she was sent away in the first place."

Anna paled. "Oh?"

"It was just after her mother died. She... well, she didn't tell me much, but apparently she froze her room shut. Her father tried to get help for her, find some way to get rid of it, but the magic is part of her, so he couldn't. When it didn't work, she was sent away." Kristoff frowned. "He claimed it was for her protection, but... it got harder and harder to believe that as the years wore on."

"How long?" She asked quietly.

"Fifteen years." He replied. "She was kept with my family for fifteen years, aside from a few visits. Those visits never went well, especially not after her father remarried. He never knew how to treat her, and her new step mother hated her, not to put it lightly. She saw Elsa as a threat to her children, and did her best to keep Elsa away."

He sighed. "It got worse over the years, until finally her stepmother sent assassins after her, about a year after Hans was born. And everything went wrong. Her father found out and was furious, but by that point his new wife was too well connected politically, and he didn't have enough proof."

"She tried to have Elsa killed, but he stayed married to her? He was the king, wasn't he? Why didn't he do something?" She asked.

"As I said, she had too many connections. There were already many rumors about Elsa and her magic, so his grip on the throne was shaky at best. Her stepmother was smart. She set up arranged marriages for her sons with the more powerful of the jarls, earning their support. She also still had her ties back to the Southern Isles, who sent messages warning that they'd be extremely displeased if anything happened to her." He said.

"Wow, that's... just evil." Anna stared, horrified. "She used her children to remain safe while she tried to take out Elsa and take the throne herself?"

"Pretty much, and she's the one who raised Hans, which explains quite a bit." Kristoff agreed. "Anyway, that was the last time she saw her father. That was also when word started spreading openly about her magic. Her stepmother's work, no doubt. That finished any chances of the jarls supporting her claim on the throne."

"I still..." She started to say, but he cut her off with a raised hand.

"Even before that, when she lived with me, I was pretty much her only friend. The few other local kids were either scared of her because of her title or because they knew why she'd been sent away, because of her magic. It's hard for her to get close to people when they're afraid she'll freeze them solid with a touch."

"Oh god, I'm sorry. I didn't know." She said. "No wonder she got mad when I kept saying that stuff. She thought I was like..."

"She knows you're not like her stepmother. It's just... people shut her out because of her magic all her life and even now, most of those who support her still aren't comfortable around her. She's doing her best to hold back the winter, and it takes a lot out of her. So it hurts when people still treat her like she's part of the problem when she's only trying to help." Kristoff told her.

"I didn't know. Sorry." Anna repeated lamely. _I still don't know if this is all true, but I can believe it, especially after meeting Hans. And it would explain a lot about Elsa. No wonder she's... well, like that. I probably would be too, if everyone treated me like a freak or a monster all my life. I still need to see it though. I have to know... but I need to find a way to ask her without making things worse between us_.

"Look, just... I know you want to know more, but if you ask her, try to keep it friendly, okay?" He asked.

"I will." She promised.

"And stay safe, Anna." He opened her door for her and waved farewell. "I'll be back in a few days."

"You be safe too." She waved goodbye.

* * *

"Well, at least you look better today." Ariel looked her over as she dropped the bag of takeout on the table between them. "Like you got plently of rest."

Anna fought back a giggle. "That's about right."

"I guess it wasn't as bad as you thought. At this rate, you might even be well enough to go to the Gala." The other redhead smiled evilly.

"Oh no. I'm afraid that I won't be back to full health by then." Anna glared. "In fact, I don't see myself recovering until after it's done with."

"Look, I know it's not your usual thing, but trust me, these events are better than you might think. There are lots of people to meet, Weselton is certainly going to make a fool of himself on the dance floor like always, and the food is great, like dining with royalty... What's so funny?" Ariel shot Anna an angry look when she broke out laughing.

"Dinner with royalty..." She kept laughing. The past few evenings with Elsa had definitely gone better. She'd stayed away from topics like Hans or the weather, and instead tried to learn as much as she could about the country. Elsa had also wondered about her childhood, and Anna had done her best to tell her about it, as best as she could. Even so, the dinners inevitably drifted towards incredibly awkward at some point, either when Anna started asking about something sensitive, or Elsa wanted to know about something that Anna had no clue how to explain. "Yeah, that's just what I need more of right now."

"Anna... are you okay?" Her friend asked, concerned.

"Its not important." She waved it off. "I guess if you insist, I'll see if I can make it. No guarantees though."

"Good enough for now." Ariel nodded. "Seriously, I hope you can make it. I could really use a friendly face there. Plus, you could use a night out, especially with your injury."

"Okay, okay, enough with the guilt trip. If I'm well enough, I'll go, but no dancing or anything." She glanced towards her ankle meaningfully. "So don't even think about it."

"I wasn't." Ariel replied innocently.

"Right..." Anna snorted. "So, now that we're done with the blackmail portion of the evening, care to tell me how the day went?"

"Not too bad. Weselton was out most of the day, meeting with several of the donors, so things were pretty quiet. And since we're basically done with the prep for the Gala, there really wasn't much to do. Mostly, we just sat around and relaxed." Her friend told her.

"Figures, the one day I'm out..." Anna grumped. "I just know we'll be super busy once I'm back. Som er hvordan min flaks alltid ser ut til å fungere."

"What was that?" Ariel stared at her.

"I said 'that's how my luck always seems to work', why?" She repeated.

"No... that's not what you said. You said... um, I have no idea what language that even was." The other redhead's eyes narrowed. "Care to explain? You told me before you didn't take much beyond a couple of semesters of French, and that sure as hell wasn't French."

 _Crap!_ Anna paled. "Uh, it was... that is... damn it, I don't know how that happened. Can we please just chalk that up to really good pain meds?"

"I think I need some answers, Anna. You've been acting weird for a while now, weird even for you, I mean." Ariel said. "Too many little things that just aren't normal. So tell me what's going on."

"I... I don't know how to explain this. Not without sounding absolutely crazy. And even if I do, you're probably not going to believe me anyway." She sighed. "I don't even believe half of it, myself."

"Well, you better get started then, because I'm honestly worried about you. Please tell me what's going on." Her friend sat down next to her on the couch.

"You won't believe me. Hell, I have no way to prove it." Anna protested.

"Try me." The other redhead said.

"Okay, you asked for it." She took a deep breath. "It started a while ago, just after that faire in the park..."

* * *

"... And dinner this past night went much better, I didn't piss her off or anything this time. Plus, Kris filled me in a bit more on what's going on, so hopefully I won't make too many more mistakes." Anna concluded.

"Wow." Ariel said quietly once she'd finished. "You really expect me to believe all this?"

"It's true, Ari." She replied angrily. _I finally tell her everything and she doesn't even believe me? Figures_...

"Anna... I just can't wrap my head around all this. You said I'd think you're crazy, and yeah, it sounds that way. I mean, you're saying that some... witch cast a spell and pulled you into another world? And now you're a guest or prisoner or whatever of this Ice Queen... Elsa..." Her friend shook her head. "It sounds unreal."

"I'm not making it up. You asked me where the language comes, the fighting stuff, all of it. Well, that's it. That's where I learned it. That's why..." She glanced down at her ankle. "I was lying about how I hurt myself. I didn't slip in the shower. I got hurt in the fight where I was captured."

"Okay, let's assume that I believe all this. What are you going to do about it? Is there some way to stop it?" Ariel asked.

"The only person who knew how to stop it is probably dead now. Maybe one of the other Seers, but... Even if they'd be willing to help me, they might not know anything about it." Anna admitted.

"Then why haven't you tried to find one of them? Don't you want to end this nonsense?"

"I thought I did." She sighed. "Now though, I don't think I can, not anymore."

"Why not?" The other redhead stared at her.

"I can't just quit on them now. If you had seen it, seen the snow in the middle of what should be summer..." She paused. "I can't sit by and not help. And... Hans made it personal. I owe that bastard."

Ariel sat quietly for a long time, long enough for Anna to start getting worried. She made a move to get up, but her friend waved her back down. "Maybe I'm going crazy too, because I sorta believe you, believe this whole insane story might be true. You can't be making up all this. So, you're a guestage of this Queen, what are you gonna do now?"

"Guestage?" Anna asked.

"Not a prisoner, but not really a guest either, and not a hostage. So, guestage." The other redhead grinned. "Anyway, what are you gonna do?"

"Step One will be finding out more about the Queen's magic. It's about all I can do with my ankle as it is now. It's something that needs doing anyway. Assuming she and Kristoff are telling the truth, Step Two will be to figure out who is behind the weird weather. How the hell I'm gonna do that, I have no idea, but maybe Elsa can help me with it. Step Three, kick Hans' ass, for so many reasons." She ticked off on her fingers. "And Step Four, find a way to stop Gerda's spell. Simple enough, right?"

"You are so crazy, Anna." Ariel told her. "All right, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Again, no idea. I don't know how it even works. But, thank you. Thank you for believing me." She hugged the other woman.

* * *

Anna sat up in 'her' bed, pushing the furs to the side. She smiled as she tested her ankle and found it to be much better. Hopefully she would be back to normal soon. While she wasn't healing nearly as fast as when she'd had access to Gerda's horrid tasting healing brew, she still was recovering quicker than usual.

Plus, her talk with Ariel had gone well, or at least as well as she could have expected. Her friend might not totally believe her, but she believed enough. And she was willing to do what she could to help.

"Good morning, Anna." Elsa's voice from the doorway shocked her out of her musings.

"Elsa, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"It is my castle." The blonde replied, amused. "I wanted to know if you were feeling better today. If you are, there's something I'd like to show you."

"Oh?" Anna wondered what this was leading up to.

"Would you like to see my magic?" The queen inquired.

* * *

 _Next Chapter: Ice magic! Plus, Hans retaliates._

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one, everything's been hectic. Not to mention, I ended up rewriting parts of this multiple times. I'm still not totally happy with it, but it's better than my first try at it._

 _Anyway, thanks as always for reading!_


	7. Ch 07 - Dreams

_A/N: Small smut warning! It was about time to give Anna a break... even if it means more trouble for her later... :evil grin:_

* * *

 **Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 07

Dreams 

Anna shifted in the seat of the sleigh, not because it was uncomfortable - if anything, it was almost as good as her couch back home - but more due to the fact that Elsa was next to her. The blonde wore an elegant pale blue dress that managed to complement her eyes perfectly. She also had a small yet elaborate crown of silver, and a necklace that matched it, both with odd blue gems that Anna couldn't place. They weren't diamonds or sapphires, but they appeared to be some odd mix.

The blonde sat straight, her posture... well, regal. She looked every inch the queen today, like she was born to do this, and her natural grace made the effect even more startling to Anna. It surprised her a little, how different this Elsa was from the one who would sit in the library and read, or chat with her over dinner. Was this is just another mask?

"Anna, is something bothering you?" The taller woman glanced her way.

"Uh, I guess I wasn't expecting all this when you said 'a small excursion'." She waved a hand towards the squad of guards accompanying them.

"There is the small matter of the war we currently have ongoing." Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Hans is always looking for any opening, so I can't be too careful."

"That makes a disturbing amount of sense." Anna frowned. "Is it always like this when you leave the castle?"

"Unfortunately." The blonde sighed. "Not that I have many opportunities for trips that aren't related to the war these days. It's pretty rare."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault, Anna. If anything, I'm glad you asked me. It's good to get out of the castle, especially when the weather is nice out." Elsa smiled at her.

Anna returned the smile as she nodded agreement. It was nice to get out from the castle and enjoy the weather, especially as she'd been cooped up inside because of her ankle. She also appreciated how Elsa had anticipated possible complications from her injury and arranged for the sleigh so she wouldn't have to ride a horse. That small bit of consideration touched her.

"Where are we going?" She asked the blonde.

"There's a small clearing up ahead." Elsa pointed further down the valley. "Next to the river. That should be a good spot for me."

Anna shrugged and nodded agreement, even though she had no clue what Elsa might need for her demonstration. Considering the whole point was for her to get a chance to see the blonde's magic for herself, she figured whatever the other woman wanted would be good enough.

It didn't take long for them to reach the clearing, and Anna decided that even if she didn't learn anything, the view would be worth the trip. Grass moved lazily in the gentle breeze, while shadows from the nearby trees cast patterns around the edges of the space. The small stream cutting across the far edge completed the picture of natural perfection.

"Wow, that's... wow." Anna breathed.

"It's one of my favorite spots." Elsa agreed, obviously pleased that Anna liked the choice.

The queen gestured absently to one of the guards, and several of them were laying out a blanket for the two women as well as readying a small meal, while the rest fanned out and stood watch on the perimeter. Meanwhile, Elsa helped her down of the sleigh, taking extra care of her injured ankle as she led Anna to where the picnic was being set up for them.

Anna nodded and smiled her thanks to the taller blonde as the other woman helped her sit. _Maybe I don't need this much help, but it kinda feels nice._ The queen smiled back and sat down next to her. "I'll show you the demonstration after lunch, if you don't mind. It's so rare that I get to enjoy a day like this, I want to make the most of it."

"Fair enough." Anna smirked. "Besides you're the queen, so whatever you want is good."

"It's good to be the Queen." Elsa agreed, which made Anna giggle. "What?"

Anna decided that trying to explain Mel Brooks would be counterproductive, at least without a whole bundle of other explanations that she really wasn't prepared for. She got control of herself. "It's... something someone said from my home."

"You're related to royalty?" The blonde looked intrigued.

"No. It's... I... He's someone famous." Anna tried to say. "Can we just save that story for another time? There's so much I'd have to tell you before you'd understand."

"All right then, why don't you tell me about your home? I'd love to hear about where you grew up." Elsa asked her wistfully.

"Err..." She hedged. "Well, Seattle is... very different from Arendelle. It's a large city on the coast. Kind of like the capital, but thankfully no Hans. I haven't lived there too long, though."

"Oh?" The other woman asked. "Why did you choose to move there?"

"I needed a new start. I wanted a change in my life after my divorce, to take charge of how I lived." She told the blonde.

"You were married?" Elsa's eyes narrowed, a frown briefly crossing her face.

"I was. It ended unpleasantly." Anna sighed. Elsa kept staring at her, obviously expecting more, so she continued. "Adam and I met in... well, quite a while ago. We got married a few years later. I thought it was what I wanted, but everything fell apart. There was another woman... It still makes me mad when I look back on it. I gave up everything for him, and he still betrayed me."

"I'm sorry." The blonde said quietly.

"After... after we divorced, I had to get away from there, from _him_. So I left, and well, after setting up a life on my own, I met Gerda. From there, I think you know how that turned out." Anna smirked.

Elsa watched her quietly. "How did you end up training with her?"

"I guess it's more that she chose me. Trust me, I never expected that I'd be her student." She smiled sadly as she thought about her teacher.

"I'm sorry." The queen repeated. "I've given orders for all our troops to pass on any word about her or her husband. Unfortunately, we haven't heard anything yet."

"Thank you for that." Anna replied softly. She paused, then risked a question. "If you'd known we were there...?"

The blonde met her gaze, not responding for a moment. She eventually nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I still would have ordered the attack. We had a chance to get rid of Hans, we had to take it. I wish it were otherwise, but... yes, it had to be done."

"Oh." She said. At least the queen was honest with her. It still sucked to hear, but she could understand the reasoning. It also made her very glad that she wasn't in a position where she had to make choices like that.

She was about to say so when motion on the edge of the horizon caught her attention. A tall tree in the distance shook and birds scattered into the air, flying away from it. A second tree fell, the faint sound of its collapse reaching them. Anna frowned and awkwardly stood, cursing as she reached for her waist and finding nothing there, her sword having been lost back when she'd been left to die by Hans.

She turned to face the queen, who appeared worried. "Is that one of yours?"

"No, it's not. My ice creatures are all on the front lines to the south. That's northwest. Only regular troops should be there. We should -" She cut off as several soldiers wearing her colors straggled in from the treeline. Most were wounded, and the few who weren't assisted the others.

The leader ran up, stopping a respectful distance from the blonde. "My queen, you must escape! Frost giants are attacking! They overran the watchpost at the crossroads and now they're headed this way."

Elsa looked around and nodded grimly. "Call in all the guards and get ready to retreat. We'll head for the summer palace." She waved the captain of her bodyguard over. "Send your fastest riders ahead of us and have the reserves sent out at once." Turning towards the redhead, she frowned. "Anna, do you think you can ride?"

"No idea, but I think I have to try." She stumbled a bit, a jolt of pain shooting through her.

"Bring the horses at once." The queen ordered. "We have to..."

A scream from somewhere close to the northwest reached the clearing. Too close, if she could judge the distance right. "I don't think we have time." She said quietly.

"You're right." Elsa gestured to the guards. "Form up. We'll have to hold until reinforcements can reach us."

"Elsa, I need a weapon! A dagger, something!" Another scream punctuated her request. She did her best to squash down the stirrings of panic.

The blonde held out an open hand, concentrating. A shimmering blue glow surrounded it. Small bright blue-white lights circled it in a spinning dance. Anna could feel the magic, her training with Gerda allowing her to sense the power the queen was drawing on. Snow swirled down faster and faster at her command. Slowly the shape of a sword formed.

It had only taken a few moments, but Anna felt like it had been hours. Elsa reached out, handing her the blade of ice. "Here, use this."

"Elsa..." Anna gingerly took hold of the sword and was surprised to find that it wasn't cold like she'd expected.

"Stay behind me." The queen commanded, the blue glow of her magic still surrounding her.

Anna didn't have time to argue, as the nearby trees shuddered aand three enormous blue human-shaped beings strode out of the woods. The center one carried a bloodied axe and was substantially larger than the other two, though all three dwarfed the humans in clearing. He grinned at the queen and her guards, his teeth stained red with blood. With a roar, he pointed the axe towards the group and charged. His companions followed a step behind, their treads shaking the ground.

Some of the royal guards stepped back, but most held their ground, brandishing their weapons and making a loose semicircle in front of Elsa. The queen raised her arms to her sides and large spikes of ice rose from the ground and aimed at the giants. She lashed her right arm forward and the spikes on that side flew out to impact the right hand foe in the chest, staggering the monster backwards.

The other two monsters had reached the line of guards by this point. They did their best to get close to the soldiers, but Elsa's royal guards were well trained. They covered each other and pulled back whenever a giant would target one of them, letting their comrades flank the monsters. Even so, the foe's superior size and strength quickly made a difference. One of the guards was a little too slow, and the lead giant sliced his head off with one brutal swipe of the axe. Another guard soon followed when the second giant struck his now-unprotected side.

Elsa breathed in deep and sent another volley of ice spikes shooting out. Most of them bounced off the tough skin of the giants, but two bolts struck home, sinking deep into the chest of the left giant. With a roar of pain, he collapsed to the ground and lay still. The leader growled in the direction of the queen and the other remaining giant, who had just managed to regain his feet, charged past the harried guards and headed for the blonde.

Anna gulped and moved closer to the queen. She adjusted her grip on the blade and got ready to engage the giant. Elsa took a deep breath and summoned more ice spikes, aiming them at the giant. Before she could loose them, the giant swung its axe out at her, forcing her back. Anna slipped to the side and stabbed forward with the ice sword. It easily cut through the giant's side and opened a large bleeding wound . The giant screamed and pulled back.

Elsa took the opportunity to lance the ice spikes at the giant. She aimed them at the cut Anna had inflicted on the monster. Three of them entered the wound, piercing deep but not deep enough. The giant remained on its feet, though it looked decidely weaker.

The blonde gestured again and ice surged up from the ground to wrap around the giant's feet. The creature tried to pull lose, but it only succeeded in tripping itself down to the ground. Anna lunged forward once more, ignoring the flare of pain from her ankle, and stabbed through the giant's neck. The monster gurgled and slumped down into death.

The last giant swung out swiftly, killing another of the royal guard. Only three were left standing at this point and none of them looked too steady on their feet. The monster struck quickly, knocking back the remaining ones. It turned towards Anna and the queen.

Elsa tried to call up a few more spikes, but staggered back, panting and looking exhausted. Anna pulled the queen behind her, interposing her blade just in time to stop the giant from hitting the blonde with its axe. She grimaced under the impact but the ice blade absorbed it far better than she expected. Clearly whatever Elsa had done when she made it had given it strength beyond normal blades.

"Elsa, get back." She growled as she swung widely with it. The giant backed away, not looking scared precisely, but certainly respectful of the ice sword.

Anna cursed when her ankle gave out as she blocked an arcing slash of the giant's axe. She looked up, blood draining from her face as the monster raised the axe and prepared to strike.

Elsa screamed and dashed forward, stabbing the giant with one of her ice spikes. The creature tried to knock her away, but the blonde ducked the blow and hit the monster with her makeshift spear again. One final strike and the giant joined its brothers in death on the ground.

The blonde reached out a hand towards her and Anna let the other woman pull her up. She winced when she tried to put some weight on her ankle. With a sigh, she realized the fight had probably undone any recent healing. She'd have to ask Jane, but she was probably going to be back to the crutches.

"Are you all right, Anna?" Elsa asked as she supported her.

"My ankle." She said. Then she looked around at the fallen guards. Some of them were collecting themselves, but most lay still on the ground, killed by the monsters. "Sorry, I guess I have nothing to complain about, considering..."

A roar from further back drew her attention and she paled. Elsa also looked in the direction of the sound. "We need to leave, now." The queen pointed to one of the surviving guards. "Sergeant, anyone who can walk help those who can't. We need to get out of here before more of those monsters find us."

The man nodded and busied himself helping another of the guard to her feet. Two other pairs were all that remained of the soldiers who'd ridden out with them that morning. Anna gulped as she noted the injuries as well as the exhaustion on Elsa's face. If the giants found them before they reached help...

She was about to ask why they didn't simply use the sleigh when a glance towards the edge of the clearing let her see the wreckage. Apparently one of the giants had crushed it during the fight. Even if it hadn't been destroyed, their mounts were gone, either dead or fleeing for safety. She groand and hoped they wouldn't have to walk too long, as she wasn't sure how far she'd get on her ankle. Before she could start, a warm arm circled around her back to support her. Elsa smiled tiredly as she looked Anna's arm over her neck. "Lean on me, we need to get moving."

The ragged party set out in the direction of Elsa's palace. The blonde proved to be stronger than Anna had expected. She managed to keep them going even when Anna felt ready to drop. Even so, she wondered how much longer the queen could last. She'd noted several gashes on the blonde's body, but as they didn't seem to be causing her too much pain, she'd decided to ignore it for now. There simply was no time to deal with it now. The few roars and growls told them that while the giants hadn't found their trail yet, they hadn't stopped looking for them, either.

"Elsa, is there anything you can do?" She asked the blonde. "Magic, something?"

The other woman shook her head. "It takes so much just to hold back the winter these days. After making that sword for you, I barely had anything left. If they catch us now, I won't be much help."

"Damn. How much further until we reach help?"

"It depends on how long it took the scouts to reach the reserve units. Hopefully some are mobilized and on the way." The blonde told her.

"Hopefully?" Anna eyed her.

"If they're not..." Elsa left the rest unsaid, but Anna knew anyway. Eight people, all of them injured and exhausted, wouldn't last long at all against even one of the giants if they were found.

"Right." She nodded grimly.

They managed to keep going for about another hour or so before she heard the sound of hooves thundering through the forest. She sagged in relief, only remaining upright thanks to Elsa's arm supporting her. A few minutes later, riders wearing Elsa's colors emerged from the trees in front of them. Their leader saluted the Queen, smiling widely at seeing her safe. He signaled and others of his unit brought up fresh horses for the party.

Anna mounted up with difficulty, even with help from one of the guards. They stiffened when more roars sounded, though these seemed to be further off. As soon as the last of the guards was on horseback, they rode off. On the way back, they passed a large detachment of footsoldiers as well as several of Elsa's ice creatures. Anna could only hope they'd be enough to drive off the rest of the giants.

By the time they made it back to the palace, the sun had set. Despite the lack of light, none of their party wanted to remain outside tonight, so they'd kept moving through the night. Anna grinned when she spotted the palace, the blue glow of the lights making it stand out against the darkness.

She let Elsa help her down from the horse, grateful for the queen's assistance. She felt so tired...

* * *

It was her stomach that woke her late the next morning. Anna guessed she'd slept at least twelve hours, if not more. And, given how sore and tired she still felt, she'd probably still be asleep if she wasn't so hungry.

With a groan, she hauled herself out of bed and winced. The fight yesterday had undone any good the rest and care of the previous days. She glumly retrieved the crutches from the rack next to her bed and made her way into the main room.

A cool tray of food awaited her on the table next to the couch. She dug in, not minding how chilled it was. She ate everything on the plate and still felt hungry. Gathering her crutches, she set out to find either more food or someone to bring it to her, and she didn't particularly care which.

"Anna!" She winced at the note of disapproval in Jane's voice. "What are you doing up? You look terrible!"

"Jane..." She started, but the brunette pointed back towards her room.

"Go back and sit down." The healer said firmly. "I don't want to see you up until I've had a chance to check your injury."

"I just wanted something more to eat." Anna muttered and tried to get around the other woman.

"Food later." The brunette blocked her way. "I don't want you hurting yourself further."

"Tyrant." Anna grumped, but she let the other woman lead her back to her rooms.

The healer flagged down one of the guards and spoke quietly to her. She rejoined Anna and they went inside. "I sent for a hot meal for you. Now, while that's cooking, let's have a look at your ankle."

Anna sat on the couch and put her foot up. Jane examined her injury and sighed. "Not good. You're going to need to stay off it for at least another two weeks."

"I'd say I'm sorry, but..." She started.

"I know, the queen told me everything that happened. I'm very happy you're alive." Jane said. "And relatively well, considering. Most of the survivors are in much worse condition than you."

"What about Elsa?" Anna asked.

"Her Majesty is doing well. She has several shallow cuts, but nothing serious. Fortunately, thanks to her powers she heals quickly. She's already up and organizing reinforcements for the northern front, against my recommendation." The brunette shook her head. "She's an even worse patient than you."

"Hey!" She protested.

"I'll re-bandage your ankle, but I want you to stay off it as much as possible. Please at least do me the favor of pretending to listen to me before ignoring my advice." The healer smiled. "Oh, and the queen said she will be stopping by to talk to you this afternoon. I don't know what about."

"I hope it's nothing bad." Anna leaned back.

"Maybe she wants to thank you for saving her. She was pretty clear that she would have been killed without you there." Jane said. "I want to thank you, too. Without her, we'd have no chance, and our lands would be locked in winter just like Hans' are. And... she's a friend."

"Yeah, she is, I guess." She shivered, remembering how she'd thought she was going to die when the giant had loomed over her with the axe raised... "She saved me too. If she hadn't killed that last giant, I'd be dead too."

"Well, however it turned out, I'm glad you two are all right. Now please, rest up for now. I'll check back with you tomorrow." The brunette stood up.

"Thank you Jane."

She chose one of the books from the shelf and absently started to read while she waited. Soon enough, one of the palace servants showed up with a tray of fresh, hot food. She dug in, eating everything and still wishing for a bit more. She'd never tell Ariel, but the food here was incredible, by itself almost worth the whole craziness that had overtaken her life.

As promised, Elsa did visit later that day, though it was closer to evening than afternoon when she did. Anna saw that Jane was right about the queen's magic helping her heal faster. She could barely see any hint that the queen had been wounded the day before. The blonde swept into the room and shut the door behind her. "How are you feeling today, Anna?"

She grimaced. "Not great. My ankle hurts worse than ever. Jane says I managed to undo any healing with that fight yesterday."

"I'm sorry." The queen glanced at the couch. "May I sit? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Of course." Anna gestured to the space beside herself.

Elsa smiled and sat down next to her. "First, I wanted to thank you for your efforts yesterday. If you hadn't jumped in the way you did, that giant would have killed me. I owe you my life."

"You saved me too, Elsa. And you're the one who carried me back to safety. If anything, I owe you." She said.

"Still..." The blonde took a deep breath. "Yesterday could have been far worse for both of us. It also got me thinking about a suggestion Kristoff has been bugging me about for a few years now. Ever since Hans' ninth assassination attempt, he's wanted me to have better protection. I've resisted until now, it's bad enough that I have so little privacy as is."

"You think Hans was behind this?" Anna asked dubiously.

Elsa shook her head. "No, I doubt it. The giants attack his territory as much as our own."

"Then -" She started, but Elsa raised a hand to stop her.

"I don't want to talk about Hans, not right now." The queen said. "This is about me and you."

"Oh?" Anna asked hesitantly. She had a suspicion as to what the blonde wanted from her.

"Yes. Anna, I'd like you to be my bodyguard. You've already proved you can handle the main part of the job." The queen smiled hopefully.

"But... I'm not..." She temporized. "Don't you have soldiers, people you can trust? And what about Kristoff?"

"Kristoff has other duties." Elsa said. "And it's not just about trust. If I'm going to have a bodyguard, I want it to be someone I'm comfortable with. And who's comfortable with me."

"Uh, well, I guess we could try it, see how it works out." Anna agreed reluctantly.

"Thank you." The blonde looked relieved.

"If you tell me you're going to get a new crew for the ship and start calling me the Dread Pirate Roberts, I quit right now." She grinned.

"You say the strangest things." Elsa smiled with her. "One of these days, I'll need to have you explain them to me."

"Hey, you're the one who asked me to be your bodyguard, so if you think about it, this is all your fault." She replied.

"So it's my fault you're weird?" The queen raised an eyebrow.

"Yes... hey!" Anna glared at the other woman. "I'm not weird!"

"Anna, you're very weird, but that's fine, I don't mind."

"I am not weird." She pouted. Maybe this whole bodyguard thing was a mistake...

* * *

"Okay, I didn't think agreeing to be her bodyguard meant I'd be moving. _Where_ am I being moved?" The next day found Anna watching from the doorway as a veritable army of servants gathered up the clothes she'd been provided with, along with books she'd expressed interest in, a spare set of crutches, and several other bundles.

Jane, who'd apparently been put in charge of overseeing the move, laughed quietly. "You can't very well guard her from across the palace."

"I can't guard her right now at all." She nodded down at her crutches.

"Anna, you saved her from a frost giant in your current condition. I think you'll be fine watching her back here in the palace." The healer said.

"That still doesn't explain why she's moving me. I mean, won't she get crowded?" Anna asked.

"Trust me, she has more than enough room in her wing of the palace for you." Amusement danced in Jane's expression. "She's had rooms set aside for a bodyguard for a while now. If anything, this will be an improvement."

"An improvement? Jane, this suite is better than... where I lived before this by quite a bit." She told her.

"Well, Elsa is the Queen, after all." The brunette pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, it's good to - never mind." She cut herself off, not wanting to go down that road again. "So I'll have a room in Elsa's chambers?"

"Rooms. I'm also supposed to tell you that the royal tailor will be along later to fit you for your new uniform. And the smith needs to measure you for armor. And... Anna, are you feeling well? You look pale." The healer reached over, concerned.

"I'm fine, just a bit overwhelmed." She stared at her companion. "Uniforms and armor? Seriously?"

"Oh yes. The smith wanted to ask about weapons too, but the queen said she'd take care of that." Jane confirmed.

"I don't suppose that means she found my sword from where Hans abandoned me?" Anna asked.

"No, she just said she'd arrange something suitable for you." The brunette shook her head. "I have no idea what she means, but I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Ohhhhhhkay..." She decided to let that one go for now. "So, aside from protecting her, what else is expected of me as her bodyguard?"

"I can't say. She's never had one before, though maybe Kristoff comes close. You should probably talk with her more, see what she wants."

"Great, so she has no idea what to do with me? Figures." She sighed. "Just once, I'd like some clear instructions. All this vague 'go and do whatever' gets old after a while."

She let Jane show her the way to the Queen's wing. After making her way up some stairs, she found out that 'wing' in this case meant 'half of a floor of the castle'. The double doors were covered with a beautiful ornately-decorated snowflake pattern. The brunette pushed the doors open and Anna stared. Various shades of blue dominated the decor, though whites and and light purples also showed up.

The furniture was similar to what had been in her room but nicer. There were also several bookshelves, not quite as many as the library but more than her suite had. Soft rugs covered the open areas of the floor.

Jane led her through the entry to a long hall with rooms on either side. She paused before one set of doors on the left side of the hall. "Those are Elsa's chambers. She said to tell you that as her bodyguard, you're allowed in any time." She pointed to the door across from it. "That door leads to yours."

Anna opened it and stared. "That's... huge."

Huge was an understatement. The suite she'd been staying in before could easily fit in the chambers set aside for her now. There was even a small armory, though it had yet to be stocked. She turned to her friend. "This... all this is for me?"

"Yes." Jane said. "Queen Elsa was very insistent."

"Wow." She took one more look then sighed. "Well, if I'm supposed to be guarding her, where is she?"

"Sleeping. Or at least she told me she would. She heals fast, but using her magic tires her out. She'll probably be up and around this afternoon." The brunette frowned. "It's probably not my place, but if you can get her to rest more now that you'll be with her, _I_ would feel better. She pushes herself too hard. I know she's the only one who can hold back the winter, and she's the reason everyone on our side is working together, but she's still human. She has limits and I worry that she'll hit them if she keeps going the way she is."

"I'll try." Anna promised. "I guess that gives me something to work on, at least: make the queen relax."

"I just said rest now and then. You'd have to be able to do real miracles to get her to actually relax."

"Yeah, well, don't rush a miracle worker or you get lousy miracles." She grinned.

"You should get some rest yourself." Jane pointed firmly towards Anna's new rooms. "In fact, consider it doctor's orders. Sleep until you start making sense."

"I don't think you guys have enough time for that." Anna laughed.

* * *

 _"Anna!" Elsa called to her, fear lacing her voice. The queen was staring up at the frost giant looming over her, poised to strike. Anna charged, her sword cutting into the monster's side. Dark blood fountained out and the creature roared in pain. It reared away from her and swiped out with its free fist, the backhand knocking Anna away._

 _She staggered away and her vision swam. Her ankle collapsed underneath her and she fell to the ground. The impact jarred her, causing her to lose her grip on her sword._

 _The frost giant regained its feet with a loud growl. The monster advanced on her, but she couldn't stand up, not with her ankle refusing any weight._

 _Elsa cried out again and tried to attack the monster, but she couldn't reach Anna before the large blue steel axe crashed down on her..._

Anna's eyes snapped open. She was in her new bed, and by how low the sun was to the horizon, she'd slept for most of the afternoon. Though, after that nightmare, she didn't feel rested at all...

She got out of the bed and looked around. A pitcher of cool, clear water waited for her on a nearby table. She poured herself a glass, drank it all, then poured another one. The nightmare had seemed so real, and considering what still happened to her every week or so here, she was hesitant to ignore her dreams.

At least this one had been nothing more than an ordinary nightmare. And after the events of the other day, she wasn't surprised that it had affected her like that. Still, she didn't feel like trying to nap again right now, regardless of Jane's recommendations.

Anna dressed herself and decided that if she really was going to be Elsa's bodyguard, she might as well get familiar with the Queen's chambers. Plus, hopefully she'd run into Elsa and she could find out more about what the blonde expected from her. She walked across the hall and opened the door to Elsa's rooms.

"Elsa?" She called softly, not wanting to wake her if she was resting. She didn't hear a reply, so - as Jane had told her she was allowed inside - she entered and looked around. Like the rest of the wing, shades of blue dominated the room. A massive, comfortable looking bed sat against one wall. She saw several doors farther back in the room, and guessed they were probably dressing rooms or the like.

The first door was indeed a dressing room. Dresses and uniforms were hung along the walls, and a rack of shoes was displayed on the center of the wall. A desk and mirror covered another one, and a set of drawers the last.

The next door had a small private armory, though it didn't look like Elsa used it much. Given what Anna had seen of her magic the other day, she figured that the queen probably relied on her powers most of the time.

She was about to try the final door when it opened from the other side. A surprised Elsa stopped where she was, staring at her wide-eyed. Anna was likewise frozen in place. She couldn't stop staring at the blonde. The other woman had clearly just finished a bath, as her hair was still damp and all she was wearing was a towel.

A small towel.

That barely covered... well, anything.

It certainly did nothing to hide her curves.

She'd been aware that Elsa was pretty, anyone who met the queen would have to be blind not to see that much. Now though, that fact was making itself noticeable. Her eyes drifted down the lines of the towel to the blonde's long, slender pale legs, with a stop to take in her amazing hips.

 _Wow!_

Anna gulped and forced herself to look back up and meet Elsa's eyes. The blonde blushed furiously but still didn't move. "Uh, I... that is... uh..." _Oh god, why doesn't she say something?_

Elsa's eyes were wide and she was breathing heavily, and _that_ wasn't helping her concentration at all. Every movement kept drawing her gaze to the blonde's magnificent chest. _Oh. My. God! Even with the towel covering her, she's... wow!_ The small part of Anna still capable of rational thought still tried to get her brain to connect to her mouth.

"Anna." The blonde spoke softly.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry about this." She hurriedly spoke. "Jane said you told her that I could look around, and I was sleeping, and I had this nightmare, so when I woke up I drank all the water in the flask and I wanted to walk, so I decided to check and I knocked, and I guess you were in your bath and didn't hear me and I didn't mean to see you like this, it's so stupid." The Queen's eyes widened and she kept going. "I don't mean you're stupid or awful, I'm the one being stupid, you're gorgeous... Wait, what?"

Elsa was still staring at her. She wished the blonde would say something, anything. Or get dressed. Because she was still having serious trouble thinking clearly.

"I'm so, so sorry!" She limped her way back to her room as quickly as possible.

Once she was safely back in her new chambers, she sank down on the couch. _Fuck! This is going to be my shortest job ever, if she doesn't end up having me executed or something! I just had to indulge my curiousity. I wonder what the penalty is for walking in on the Queen in her bath. God, did I really tell her she's gorgeous? Why can't my mouth ever consult my brain before I speak? I wish I could talk to Ariel about this, but if I'm right about the timing, I won't be back home for another four days at the earliest. Damn..._

Anna sighed. Why couldn't life ever be simple?

* * *

Anna was both surprised and worried when Elsa didn't visit or send for her until the next day. She would have felt better if she had any idea what the blonde was thinking. At least she wasn't under guard again. So that was a plus. On the other hand, the isolation was bothering her a bit. Just when she thought she was making some progress with the woman, she went and screwed it up royally. No pun intended.

A knock on the door the next morning interrupted her worrying. She stood up and made her way to the door. Elsa was standing there, looking uneasy. "May - May I come in, Anna?"

"Of course." She let the queen enter and they both returned to the couch. Elsa sat nervously on the edge of it. She waited for the blonde to say whatever it was she'd come here to say.

"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday." The other woman began, her face flushing brightly. "When you, ah, saw me."

"Yeah, about that, I know I said it before, but I'm sorry. I was just trying to, well, figure out what I should do as your bodyguard. So I wanted to look around, since Jane said you'd said it was okay, and... sorry." She finished lamely.

"No, I should have figured you'd want to explore. I probably would have done the same in your place." The blonde blushed again. "Um, you won't tell anyone about this? Please?"

"Of- of couse, Elsa." She assured the other woman.

The queen gave her a wide, relieved smile. "Thank you, Anna."

"You're really not mad at me?" Anna asked.

"Well, if you're going to be my bodyguard, you'll be with me pretty much all the time. We'll just have to get used to each other." Elsa told her. "I can't be getting upset or flustered by something like this."

"Still, I'll try to give you a bit more warning from now on." She said then grinned a bit. "I guess this is going to be awkward for both of us for a while."

"True. One of the reasons I've resisted getting a bodyguard until now." The blonde agreed.

"That reminds me, what else should I know about this? This is completely outside anything I've done before." Anna told her.

"For now, just protect me. We can work out any other details as we go." Elsa shrugged. "As I said, this is new for me too. Let's not make this any more complicated than we have to."

"I like the sound of that." She smiled, relieved.

"There's one more thing..." The queen got up and went to the door. She opened it and gestured, and a moment later, one of the palace servants entered, carrying a cloth-covered bundle. "I made this for you yesterday, but I needed the smith to put a proper grip on it." She lifted the edge of the cloth, revealing a beautiful sword with a blade that looked like it was made of ice. The blonde noticed her questioning glance and grinned. "Yes, it is made from my ice, but don't worry. Unlike a normal blade, this one is completely indestructible."

"It's amazing, Elsa." Anna said quietly as she got up to examine the sword. She grasped the hilt and picked it up. "It's so light!"

Elsa nodded. "The smith is also working on a scabbard for it, but that won't be ready for another couple of days, I'm sorry to say. For now, you'll have to make do with a regular one."

"I think I can manage." The sword felt _right_ in her grip. "Thank you."

"One more thing..." The blonde reached out and put her hand on top of Anna's where she was holding the sword. She felt a brief chill run through her body. "There, done."

"What was that?" Anna asked.

"I bound it to you. If you ever lose it, you can call it with a thought." The other woman gave her a small smile. "I remembered you telling me about losing your other weapon when Hans betrayed you and I thought this might help."

"Wow." She breathed. She reluctantly sheathed the blade and faced the queen. "Hopefully I'll be able to try it soon. Jane still wants me to rest some."

"I know." Elsa said. "She told me. That's fine, though. It gives me some time to plan your ceremony."

"What ceremony?" Anna frowned.

"The one honoring you for saving me, of course. I'll officially announce your new position then too." The blonde told her.

"Um, that's okay, you don't have to do that." She protested. "Really not necessary."

"Oh, but it is. I want to make sure you don't have any trouble with any of my people." Elsa insisted. "I'll let you know when everything is ready."

"Fine." Anna grumped.

"I'll see you at dinner then." The blonde stood up. "I hope you feel better soon, Anna."

* * *

 _Anna slipped through the doorway to the queen's chambers. She wasn't sure what had alerted her, but she felt drawn here. The light from the setting sun bathed the room in a warm orange glow. She made her way towards the rear of the room. She needed to find..._

 _Elsa._

 _The blonde stepped out from her bathroom, wearing only a towel. Anna gulped as the other woman walked over to her, the sway of her hips drawing her eyes like a magnet. Her hair hung over one shoulder in a braid, a few errant strands sticking out from it. A lazy smile graced her lips as she advanced on Anna._

 _She reached out, placing one hand on Anna's waist. The blonde drew her in, cupping her chin and tilting her head up. The taller woman leaned down, kissing her passionately. Anna lost herself in the kiss, her arms finding their way around Elsa's neck. She let out a needy whine when the blonde broke off the kiss._

 _Elsa led her over towards the bed. With a gentle push, she sent Anna down to lie on the mattress. The blonde climbed over her. She met Elsa's gaze, her breathing rapid and shallow. The other woman's hands tugged at her clothes. She sat up a little from the bed so the blonde could pull her top off._

 _Elsa stared for a moment before leaning down once more and kissing Anna hungrily. The blonde's hands roamed across Anna's bare skin, her touch both cool and warm at the same time. She shivered, pleasure spiking through her as the blonde explored her body. Those slender fingers paused over her bra._

 _Anna moaned, desperate for the other woman to continue her ministrations. The blonde's hands fumbled at the bra before finally freeing her from it. Elsa made a pleased sound and returned her hands to Anna's chest, now free from any barriers. She feathered her touch across the freckled torso before returning her attention to Anna's breasts._

 _A gasp escaped her lips when Elsa brushed one of her nipples. The blonde's grin grew wider and she leaned down, planting kisses on her neck and working her way down the chest. Anna's hands fisted into the sheets as those soft lips circled the other nipple. She was more than happy to let the other woman do as she wished._

 _She moaned again as the taller woman kissed her way lower. The blonde's hands led the way, tugging at Anna's pants. She lifted her hips, allowing Elsa to pull them off. The queen looked up at her, her fingers poised to slip off her panties. Anna could read the question in that gaze, and gulped. She nodded permission and the blonde pulled them off, removing her last barrier._

 _Elsa made a small 'oh' of wonder as she drank in Anna's naked form. She hovered over the redhead as she enjoyed her first sight of Anna nude. The blonde's hands drifted down her body until one reached between her legs._

 _Anna jerked upright as that touch reached her center. The brush of Elsa's fingers sent waves of pleasure racing through Anna's body. Her heart raced and her breathing was shallow. Excitement ramped up, higher and higher. The blonde rubbed her sensitive cluster, and Anna felt her pleasure building until..._

Anna gasped, her body shuddering as the strongest orgasm she'd ever had in her life crashed through her. After it faded, she lay on her bed, too exhausted to move.

Her mind raced. Where the _fuck_ had that dream come from? She'd never had one like that before. Nothing anywhere close to that intense. Her only consolation was that it had just been a dream. No magic, no alternate world, just a regular dream.

She groaned. Okay, aside from a little experimenting in college, she'd never really thought about another woman that way. Though to be honest, for the longest time she hadn't thought of anyone that way at all.

So maybe this was just a case of a repressed libido. But why did it have to pick Elsa, of all people? And why now? She had enough trouble already without adding inappropriate dreams to the mix.

Well, maybe she couldn't control her dreams - given where she currently was, that much was abundantly clear! - but the rest of the time, she could stuff thoughts like that down a deep, dark hole. Elsa was a friend, that was all. Just a friend.

Just a friend.

* * *

 _Next Chapter: Things get more confusing for Anna._

* * *

 _A/N 2: So yeah, this one is where the rating really starts to kick up to M. But poor Anna really deserves something nice.  
_


	8. Ch 08 - Investigations

**Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 08

Investigations

Anna was relieved when she woke up back in her world a few days later. Ever since the dream - well, since the towel incident, if she was being honest - things had been awkward with Elsa. Not on Elsa's end - as far as she could tell, the queen hadn't acted any differently since then. Anna, though, still felt a bit weird. At least that dream hadn't repeated itself.

It had helped that she hadn't spent much time with Elsa since then either. Jane insisted she rest as much as possible and the blonde had agreed, so Anna found herself spending most of her time in her new rooms. She still had dinner with the queen most nights, which she found herself looking forward to more and more.

Elsa was good company. She would talk with Anna about anything she wanted to know. She also loved hearing stories from the redhead's past, though Anna often found herself having to edit them as there were some things that just didn't translate. Like the internet. She had no idea how to explain that one to the blonde. Still, dinner had rapidly become her favorite part of the day.

Now she was back home though, and she felt strange. She didn't know why, either. For most of the week, she'd wanted to be here so she could talk to Ariel, but now that she was, she was feeling... off. Still, she got dressed and headed off to work like normal.

The day had a surreal quality to it. After the frost giant attack, her work here seemed so trivial. It wasn't that she didn't love what she did, it was just that... she had no idea. Why couldn't her life be easy? Just once?

"So tell me what happened to you last night." Ariel asked her over lunch. "Or last week, or however you think about it."

"Well, for the most part, it was fairly uneventful." Anna replied truthfully.

" 'For the most part'," The other redhead echoed. "I noticed you're limping worse than before, so clearly something else happened. Spill it."

"Erm... we might have been attacked by frost giants. But we survived. My ankle got sorta twisted during the fight, but Jane says with some rest and care, I'll be back to normal soon." She said.

"Anna, you and normal don't go together. At all." Her friend shook her head. "How did you get attacked by ice giants?"

" _Frost_ giants." Anna corrected automatically.

"Whatever." Ariel shrugged. "I thought you were stuck in the palace?"

"Elsa wanted to show me her ice magic, so she arranged for a short trip out of the castle." She laughed sourly. "I guess she did end up showing me it anyway. Just not the way either of us expected."

"So... you guys got attacked... and..." The other redhead prompted.

"We fought, I saved her, she saved me and carried me back to the palace." Anna blushed. "Then she sorta made me her personal bodyguard."

"You're her bodyguard? _You?_ Is she insane?" Her friend asked, grinning.

"Bite me." She sighed. "I think it's crazy too. I mean, I have no training for this and no idea what all she expects from me, because she's hinted that there's more to it than that."

"So what are you going to do?"

"No clue. And I basically only get today to figure it out before I'm back there. God, my life is so weird now." She shook her head. "So I really need some help on this one."

"Uh, don't let her die? What the hell do you think I know about it? You at least have that basic training that those Seer people gave you, right?" Her friend shrugged. "Start with that and go from there."

"Also, I was thinking - " She glared at the other woman before she could say anything " - and I had an idea. All this crap started after the art faire. I bought the painting, remember? Then the next night I get pulled into the other world. Maybe there's a connection?"

"That, I can help with." Ariel grinned. "C'mon. We've gotten everything done for the day, let's go find out what we can about that painting."

* * *

"This is the place?" The other redhead asked.

"How should I know? The guy had a tent set up, not a whole store." Anna stared up at the sign. 'Allerson's', it read, in simple block letters. She peered through the front window. "I think it might be the right place. Some of the art looks familiar."

The store had the right feel. It was small, but well-maintained. She examined several of the paintings and recognized them from the faire. She nodded to Ariel, who rang the small bell on the counter.

"Hello, can I help you?" The middle-aged man from the faire entered from the back room. "Are you looking for something in particular or just browsing?"

"Actually, we'd like to ask you about a painting you sold me back at the summer Art Faire." Anna spoke up. "You know, the one you said you'd had since your father owned the store?"

"Oh, right. That." The man sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't do refunds." He pointed to a 'no refunds' plaque on the counter.

"No, that's not... look, you said you'd had it since your father owned the store? Where did he get it?" She asked.

"I don't know." He frowned at her skeptical look. "I really don't. Dad got most of these from estate sales, that kind of thing. That one he had before I was even born, so I really can't tell you where he got it from."

"He didn't keep records?" Ariel spoke up. "Anything that might help us find out where that thing came from?"

"Not really. Dad wasn't big on that kind of stuff." He sighed again. "Trust me, I've had to tell the IRS that way too many times already." He pulled a battered box of index cards out from under the counter. "I'll check, but I don't think I'll find anything."

He leafed through the cards for a while before giving up. He shook his head. "Sorry, nothing on it beyond 'private acquisition'. I wish I could help more. If you want, leave your contact information and I'll do a little digging on my own."

"Thanks anyway." She said. They made their way out to the car. "Well, that was a bust."

"Yeah." Ariel agreed. "I'm not sure what I expected, but not that. It's just too... normal."

"I know what you mean. I still think the damn painting has something to do with all this, but I don't know how. Unfortunately, looks like this is a dead end for now, unless he finds something. Anyway, I have another idea."

"Two in one day? Don't strain yourself." Her friend grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, I want to check some maps and see if I can find Arendelle on them. Check some histories too." She suggested.

"Not bad. But what if it really is another world, like you said?" Ariel asked.

"At least I'll know, one way or another. I'm also going to look up some Norse mythology. It might not match up exactly, but I think it might be the closest thing we have. And I could use some information. I'm tired of being kept in the dark for all this." She explained.

"All right, but I have a suggestion for you. More of an experiment, really." The other redhead said. "If you go to that other world each night when you sleep, what would happen if you stayed awake all night? Or if I woke you up during the night?"

"Uh... I'm not sure." Anna thought for a moment. "Let's try the stay awake one first, okay? I have no idea what waking up during the night might do."

"True. I'll stay with you, help you stay awake." Her friend volunteered.

"Okay, let's try this." She said.

* * *

She pored over numerous maps with Ariel, but they had no luck. She couldn't match any of the terrain from Arendelle to Earth. She might have come close a few times, but she simply couldn't make the match. Likewise, the histories were equally useless. Not a single mention of Arendelle, city or country. "I guess it really is another world. Nothing matches. I mean, a few areas are kinda close in parts, but the rest just doesn't line up."

"Yeah, I had no luck either." Ariel looked up from her laptop. "It looks like you were right about it."

"Joy." Anna deadpanned. "So any other ideas, or just throw in a movie or something?"

"Movie works." Her friend said. "I could use a brain break."

"You pick then. Just no fantasy or anything. I'm already stuck living that crap half the time." She said.

They got a pizza and watched movies, and eventually Anna even let Ariel put on _Game of Thrones_. She managed to stay awake the entire night and was still here in the real world. She grinned at her friend over breakfast. "I guess we know that works. Though, I wonder what will happen when I go back there. Will I have lost time, or will it just be the next morning like usual?"

"Yeah." The other redhead yawned. "At least the Gala isn't until tomorrow night. I'd be tripping over everything worse than you usually do if it was tonight."

"Hey!"

"Just saying." Her friend grinned. "Let me grab my things while you get ready and we can head back in. Shouldn't be much for us to do today, thankfully. Unless Weselton wants us to rearrange things again."

"You had to jinx it." Anna sighed dramatically. "Now you've ensured that he'll have some last minute changes for us before the Gala."

"He wouldn't... would he?" Ariel looked nervous. "Damn it."

"Maybe we'll be lucky. I mean, even he can't be that crazy. Right?" She said.

They shared a look, then Ariel said what they were both thinking. "Today is gonna suck."

"Oh yeah."

* * *

Anna's prediction proved depressingly accurate. Not only did Weselton want several pieces moved to different displays, but they also got stuck spending an hour searching for his toupee after a gust of wind from a nearby door sent it spiralling off under the tables set up in the ballroom.

"Found it." Ariel called from three tables over as she held the renegade hairpiece. She eyed the thing with disgust. "I hate my life."

"You know, stuff like this really makes little things like frost giant attacks seem like not a big deal." Anna agreed.

"Let's get it back to Weselton so I can go wash my hands a few dozen times." Her friend shivered.

After they'd returned the hairpiece, Ariel said farewell to her. "Let me know what happens to you tonight. You can tell me everything before the Gala tomorrow."

"Yeah, I will." Anna promised.

She decided that she wasn't in the mood for anything complex, so dinner was nothing more than a salad that evening. She prepared her dress for tomorrow, well aware that Ariel wouldn't let her get away with skipping the Gala. Besides, after all the work they'd put in for it, she found herself actually looking forward to seeing it.

A yawn escaped her and she checked the time. It was still a little early, but after not sleeping for a night, she was really tired. She showered and crawled under the covers, ignoring the small note of pain from her ankle. Sleep rolled over her almost instantly...

* * *

 _Anna walked out onto the dock, the wood still warm from an afternoon of soaking in the sun. It felt good under her bare feet. The setting sun finally started to kiss the horizon, and the light breeze that carried to her made the day almost perfect._

 _"Were you waiting long?" Elsa's voice drew her attention. She turned around and saw the blonde moving to join her. They sat down on the edge of the dock, feet dangling in the lakewater._

 _"Nope." She grinned. "You're worth waiting for, anyway."_

 _"Flatterer." The other woman looked out over the lake. "This is nice. Where is it?"_

 _"Upstate New York. My family vacationed here a lot while I was growing up." She pointed back down the path. "We had a cabin about half a mile back that way."_

 _"Nice." The blonde repeated._

 _"I loved to come here. Swimming in the lake, sunning on the shore, hiking... So many good times." Anna told her._

 _"What happened?" Elsa asked._

 _"Life. College. Adam." She shrugged. "Take your pick."_

 _"Did you love him?"_

 _"That's kinda hard to answer." Anna evaded._

 _"Actually, it's 'yes' or 'no'." Elsa pressed._

 _"Uhmmm... I don't know. I used to think so. I mean, he was my best friend for a while, and handsome and... When he asked, I said yes because that's what I thought I was supposed to do. That he was what I was supposed to want, just like everyone said. But I guess..." She sighed. "No, I don't know that I ever did."_

 _"So what do you want?" The other woman peered at her intently._

 _"What I want?" She blushed a little._

 _"Yes, you said that you went along with what everyone else thought you should want." The blonde kept focusing on her. "What does Anna want?"_

 _"I'm going to sound really stupid if I say I never really thought about it all that much, right?" Anna sighed._

 _"Maybe you should." Elsa frowned._

* * *

Anna sat up in her new chambers, hauling herself out of her bed. For some reason, that dream had weirded her out. How the hell had she ended up talking about her relationships, past and non-existant present ones, with Elsa of all people? Okay, maybe that dream would have made sense if it were Ariel or her mother - she could totally see either of them giving her that kind of verbal kick in the ass - but Elsa?

At least it hadn't been like that other dream. She wasn't sure why a small part of her was disappointed by that.

"Anna?" The palace healer peeked through the doorway after knocking.

"Hey Jane, how long have I been asleep?" She looked over to the other woman expectantly.

"Since yesterday. You had me check your ankle, remember?" The brunette gave her an odd look. "Why do you ask?"

"Uh, I guess you could say it was a weird dream?" She hoped the other woman would buy that excuse. _At least I know that when I go to sleep there, I wake up here the next day, regardless of how long it's been. Good to know, even if not very helpful at the moment._ "Anyway, what's with the early visit?"

"The queen wanted me to tell you that the northern clans will be arriving today, escorted by Kristoff. She wants you to be there, just in case." Jane informed her.

"Joy, trial by fire, I see." Anna nodded towards the wardrobe. "What should I wear?"

"Your uniform isn't ready?" She shook her head 'no' to the healer. "Hmmm... how about the green dress? It should look good on you and still let you move fairly freely. And make sure you have a weapon."

"Right, of course. Look good, but be ready to fight." She grinned.

"Pretty much." Jane agreed. "We shouldn't have any serious problems, but you never know what might happen. Speaking of which, personally, I can't wait to watch Kristoff with Merida. It's always a disaster."

"Oh? I thought he was into her?" She asked.

"He is, but he's kind of an idiot, and she's too proud half the time. So they both like each other, but they keep getting in their own way." The healer told her. "Granted, it has gotten better for them since Elsa formally named him a member of her court. That appeased her mother a little, at least enough that she's stopped inviting suitors for Merida to visit."

"Well, that's good, I guess." Anna said. She stepped behind the screen and put on the dress, wincing just a little when her injured foot caught in a fold in the fabric for a moment. After she had done that, she called the ice sword the way Elsa had shown her. She frowned as she examined the outfit. Nowhere to put the sword since the promised scabbard hadn't arrived yet. "Hmmph."

"What's wrong?" Jane asked from the other side of the screen.

"Oh, just having trouble finding somewhere to put my sword." She walked out to show the other woman the issue.

The healer gasped when she saw the ice sword. "Where did you get that?"

"Elsa made it for me, why?"

"Of course..." Jane stared at the blade. "It's incredible. She really made it for you?"

"That's what she told me."

"She's only ever made one before this, and Kristoff has that one. You're lucky." The brunette gave her a hopeful look. "Can I...?"

"Here." Anna handed her the sword.

"Incredible." Jane repeated as she held it close and examined it. She returned the weapon to Anna. "Thank you for letting me see it."

* * *

"There they are." Elsa's fingers brushed Anna's arm as she pointed to the northeast.

"I still don't see them." Anna said, glad that the queen hadn't caught her blush at the brief contact. Ever since the blonde had half-carried her out of the forest after the attack, the memory of the cool warmth of the blonde's arm across her body continued to haunt her. And yes, she was aware that normally it would be pretty much impossible for something to be both cold and hot at the same time, but that's exactly how Elsa felt.

Cool warmth. Like a gentle breeze on the first day of spring after the snow melted.

Anna shook her head, shoving that thought down into the same deep, dark pit that she'd put the dream of her and Elsa in bed. Because the last thing she needed was to have her mind go down that particular rabbit hole.

"There, at the edge of the far clearing. See?"

Anna's gaze focused where the blonde indicated, and she could make out tiny spots of color against the greens and browns of the forest backdrop. As the spots grew, she was able to see that they were people, an entire procession in fact. She counted at least fifty visitors, plus a contingent of Elsa's guards.

Elsa's fingers finally drifted off her arm and she squashed a sense of relief as well as regret at the loss of contact. They waited patiently as the envoys for the Northern Clans approached the palace. After a few minutes more, she was able to identify Kristoff riding next to a redheaded woman at the head of the column.

Most of the group followed the royal guards to the common areas of the palace, but Kristoff led his companion up the stairs to where Elsa waited for them. The pair bowed and the queen acknowledged them with a nod and a smile. "Lady Merida, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Queen Elsa." The fire-haired woman replied. " 'Tis good to see ye as well. The Northern Clans send their respect and well-wishes."

"Arendelle wishes continued prosperity for them. I formally extend the hospitality of the palace to you." She turned her attention to her friend. "No troubles with the trip, Kris?"

"Nah. A few bandits and one night we had some wolves sniffing around, but that was it." He grinned. "Nice, easy trip. Hi, Anna."

"Hey Kristoff." She waved, doing her best to ignore the slight glare Merida sent her way.

"Did anything important happen while I was gone?" He asked Elsa.

"Nothing major. At least," She sent a warning glance to Anna to keep quiet. "nothing I'm willing to talk about out here."

"Right." Kristoff nodded. "Well, let's go inside and talk about it. I could use some hot food. And I'd rather find out whatever it is you need to tell me now instead of later."

Elsa led them into the palace and to one of the sitting rooms near the guest quarters. On the way, the queen signaled one of the servants, and by the time they reached the room, refreshments were waiting for them. Kristoff loaded up a plate and started eating, earning a harsh 'be polite' whisper from Merida and an eye roll from Elsa. The blonde motioned for him to keep eating while the three women sat down.

When it was apparent that Elsa wasn't going to start the conversation, Merida faced Anna. The other redhead frowned at her. "So, who are you? I don't remember seeing you around before."

"Anna is my new bodyguard." Elsa spoke up before Anna could. "Kris has enough duties already, and after what happened a few days ago, I'd say she's earned it."

"What did happen?" Kristoff said around his sandwich. "The guards who met us said there'd been an attack? Was it Hans?"

"There was, and no, it wasn't Hans." The queen sighed. "It's worse than that. Frost giants ambushed us. If it wasn't for Anna, I'd be dead."

"Frost giants?" He paled.

"Yes, they overran one of our border posts. It looks like it was just a scouting mission, but even three of them were enough to take out an entire contingent of Guards." Elsa confirmed. "We're shoring up our lines now, but we'll probably have to postpone our push against Hans until next year."

"Damn." He sighed. "I really hoped this year we'd finally break him."

Elsa filled him in some other details, mostly having to do with troop deployments and other business of the kingdom. Meanwhile, Merida kept shooting glares at Anna whenever the other two were too busy talking to notice. The other redhead shifted closer to Kristoff as the conversation continued. Things got especially weird when Elsa finally caught one of those glances and moved a little closer to Anna, something she only noticed when the blonde's shoulder bumped hers. For some reason, that only made Merida glare even harder.

When the friendly reunion finally, mercifully ended, Anna escaped the room with a gasp of relief. She followed Elsa back towards her quarters... their quarters, sorta. "Is she always that touchy?"

"Merida? She always takes a while to warm up to new people."

"Warm up? Elsa, that woman could teach you a thing or two freezing things, from the looks she was shooting me." She said. "I think she's jealous."

"Jealous?" The blonde's eyes narrowed. "Is there something going on with you and Kris?"

"No." She laughed. "I mean, he's nice and all, but no. Besides, she made the property lines pretty clear."

"I see." The queen murmured in a voice that Anna wasn't sure she was supposed to have heard. "I think I'll have a little talk with her anyway. If she's going to be visiting, I don't want any trouble between you two."

"It'll be fine, Elsa." Anna said.

The blonde raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Well, it can't be worse than the frost giants."

The eyebrow climbed a little higher.

"Probably."

A smile finally cracked Elsa's face and the blonde leaned back, giggling.

* * *

If she thought the first day was rough, it was nothing compared to the rest of the week. Jane had enforced her instructions that Anna rest as much as possible. And with the delegation from the northern clans here at last, Elsa's time was occupied for most of the day, as well as most evenings. The queen had cancelled their usual dinners so she could host her allies, which Anna understood, but it still left her on her own for longer than she liked. Even Kristoff rarely visited, as Merida conspired to keep him busy whenever he was free. Both times he'd dropped by to say hello to Anna had ended shortly afterward when Merida just 'happened' to find him and drag him off for something or other.

All in all, Anna found herself with nothing to do and too much time to do it in. She could only spend so much time in the library reading or taking a nap in her quarters. After that, she got bored. Really, really bored.

The only change in her routine was when the palace tailor stopped by to deliver her new uniform. She tried it on and found that it looked rather good. The elegant tunic was a light blue that matched Elsa's ice perfectly, with purple and gold accents. The trousers were a deeper blue, and cut with enough room to allow her easy movement. It also had the promised scabbard and belt, both in a durable tooled leather.

It was just in time, too. Word reached her through one of the servants that a Elsa would be hosting a banquet that evening and her presence was required. When the time drew near, she donned the uniform and made herself as presentable as she could. She put her hair into two braids, liking how they looked with the outfit. The only thing part that caused her to hesitate was the sword. Anna didn't know if taking it would be an insult or not, but she was Elsa's bodyguard now, so she figured better safe than sorry, and if anyone had a problem with it, they could just deal.

Once she was ready, she headed across the hall and knocked on Elsa's door. After a muffled 'come in', she opened it to see several servants helping the queen finish her own outfit for the evening.

Anna couldn't help staring at the other woman. In place of her usual dress, Elsa wore a form-fitting gown of pale blue. The dress was cut moderately high on the chest, though it still drew her eyes in that direction rather well. The rest of it was so tight that Anna wondered how the blonde had managed to put it on in the first place, as she could see no zipper (obviously, since they didn't exist here, but she couldn't help think it anyway), laces, buttons, or anything. The other woman had an amazing waist and hips, and Anna wasn't sure what she was feeling, but it wasn't quite jealousy. It was more like... She couldn't find the words for what she felt when she looked at the blonde.

"...be seated next to me at the high table and... Anna? Are you all right?" Elsa asked her.

"Whuh? Yes? I'm Anna." She stammered. _Holy. Fuck._ Her eyes were still tracing the magnificent lines of Elsa's legs.

"I think we've established that, yes." The queen smirked.

"Oh god, sorry Elsa. I sorta spaced out there." She apologized.

"Obviously." The blonde had amazing dimples... Okay, this was getting ridiculous. She needed to focus, and not on what her brain seemed determined to focus on right at the moment.

"It's just... you look... I mean... wow!" Anna's eyes roamed Elsa once again.

"I'm glad you approve." The blonde smiled happily. "Care to escort me, my gallant bodyguard?"

"Uh, of course." She fell in beside the queen, noting that the taller woman was limiting her steps to match Anna's still-recovering pace.

Everyone stood for the monarch when they entered the main room. Elsa sat herself and waved for her guests to sit as well. Anna took her place in her assigned seat, noting that Kristoff and Merida were on the other side of the queen. The other redhead glared at her while Kristoff gave her a small wave...

* * *

Anna couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The dinner, aside from a few uncomfortable moments, had gone well. She'd done her best to mimic Elsa's impeccable manners, and for the most part she succeeded. Most of the guests ignored her after a few curious glances.

Most.

She kept finding her attention returning to one of the tables on the far right side of the room. According to a passing servant, the representative of a minor offshoot of a lesser clan occupied that place. _Why are they getting up now?_

Anna's instincts kept telling her that she needed to act. A glance at her companions at the table showed that she was the only one who was anxious. But... _I have to... now!_

She called the blade of ice that Elsa had made for her, not wishing to waste time drawing it normally. One of the 'guests' noticed and yelled something to her companions, and the five of them all drew daggers and charged the high table.

"Fuck!" Anna leaped to her feet, shoving her chair back as she intercepted a thrust aimed at Elsa. "Elsa, get back!"

Two more assassins surged past her, intent on the queen. One of them fell when Kristoff threw his goblet in the man's face. The other froze in place - literally - as Elsa's magic swirled around him, the ice encasing his body. The last two used their comrade's defeat to close in on their target. Elsa glanced between them frantically, panic clear in her eyes as she realized if she stopped one with her magic, the other would use the opening and kill her.

The assassin fighting Anna was far better than the bandits she'd fought on the road so long ago. It was all she could do to keep him back, and even so, she knew she wasn't going to be able to last much longer. _Fuck, what do I do?_

"Anna, duck!" Merida yelled from behind her. Trusting her instincts, if not necessarily the other woman, she ducked. One of the platters sailed over her head, smashing into the assassin's chest. Anna straightened, stabbing upwards as she did so. The ice sword cut through the chainmail the man wore under his clothes, sinking deep in his chest. She pulled it free and turned to go help Elsa.

Elsa's ice had kept the assassins from killing her, but they had managed to open several deep wounds on her arms and torso. Anna glared and charged the nearest of the killers. She plunged the sword into his back, sending him down to the ground.

Motion at the corner of her vision was the only warning she had that the first assassin, the one Kristoff had knocked down, had rejoined the fight. The woman stabbed downwards and Anna just barely stepped out of the way. The killer shifted and lunged at Merida, who was also nearby and unarmed. Anna leaned in, intercepting the strike. She pushed the other redhead back out of the way and sliced at the female foe.

Kristoff had moved up to help Elsa, but without weapons, he was reduced to throwing things and doing his best to distract the enemy they faced. Anna wanted to help him, but she knew if she did, the female killer would finish off Merida and turn on her. She just had to trust that her friends could survive until she somehow disabled the assassin.

A plan popped in her mind. It was a stupid plan, probably a suicidal plan, but a plan nonetheless. She focused on the assassin and threw her ice sword with all her strength. The blade sailed through the air, but the killer ducked it and turned on the disarmed Anna. The woman smiled evilly and lunged for her...

...Only to be met by the ice sword that she'd summoned back to her. She used it to bat aside the dagger and buried it in the woman's throat. Wrenching it free, she whirled around just in time to see the final assassin open a long gash on Elsa's left arm. Blood already covered the blonde's body, and from how profusely this new wound was bleeding, she doubted the queen would survive much longer if she didn't get help very soon.

She advanced carefully, but somehow the assassin sensed her approach anyway and shifted so that he was no longer between the two women. Anna sighed and moved up even more. If she was going to save Elsa, she had to end this now.

The final assassin was clearly the best of the lot, as his survival proved. He gave Anna no openings she could exploit and did his best to keep her between himself and Elsa so the queen couldn't use her magic on him. He pressed her hard, and she found herself falling back, the numerous small injuries she'd suffered from fighting the others taking their toll on her.

And then she heard the 'thump' of a body hitting the floor.

"Elsa!" Kristoff shouted in horror behind her. She wanted to look and see what happened, but she couldn't afford the distraction, not now. Anna gathered her remaining strength and went on an all-out offensive. Her blade drove the assassin away from the queen and towards the wall. And when he bumped against it and staggered a little, she was ready. Ignoring his slash that bit into her left leg, she slammed the sword home, dropping the killer to the floor.

Merida had scooped up one of the daggers and was busy securing the last living assassin while the woman was still unconscious. When Anna glanced at her, she nodded sharply towards where Kristoff was trying to bandage Elsa's wounds. Anna left the other redhead to her work, trusting her to handle the enemy. At that moment, the doors finally burst open and the guards entered. A quick look out into the hallway showed the bodies of yet more enemies in front of the door, answering one question for Anna. The guards hadn't gotten here in time because they'd been stalled at the door.

"Get the healer!" Kristoff called to the leader of the guards, who sent several of his troops running.

Anna limped over to the fallen queen and knelt beside her. Elsa was still breathing, but it was shallow and weak. She examined the wounds the way Gerda had taught her, though this was the first time she'd had to do it for real. Her world narrowed to a simple repetition of find a wound, bandage it and move to the next...

It was only when Kristoff had to pull her back that she realized Jane had arrived at last. "Where were you?" She growled.

"Called away on an emergency that turned out to be fake." The healer snapped back. She turned to the shaggy man. "Help me get her to her quarters and send someone for more supplies."

Kristoff carried Elsa back towards her chambers, Anna, Jane and Merida following along as they hurried through the halls. He set the injured blonde on the bed and stepped back to allow Jane room to work. She found herself pressed into the role of assistant, as her limited training was still more than the others had.

Eventually they managed to get Elsa stabilized, although the blonde still looked extremely weak. Jane covered her then turned to examine the rest of them. Kristoff and Merida had escaped the fight with only minor injuries, but Anna was worse off. Several of her wounds were deeper than they seemed at first, and at some point she'd bruised a rib.

While Jane worked, Kristoff left to confer with the head of the guards. When he returned, he looked grimmer than before. "The bodies were searched. Most had nothing unusual, but we found a writ of passage on the apparent leader. With Hans personal seal on it."

Merida cursed, Anna feeling like joining her. Of fucking course this was Hans' work. Kristoff continued speaking, ignoring their comments. "It's clear he's been planning this for quite some time. They replaced the entire contingent of one of the smaller outer clans, one that Merida wasn't familiar with, as communication has been irregular thanks to the war. They kept to the edges of the camp during the trip, and since they were with the rest of the diplomatic party, no one thought to search them or question them."

" _That_ won't happen again." Merida promised darkly.

"Once they reached the palace, they waited for a chance at Elsa. First they stirred up some fights in the camps, causing enough injuries to draw Jane out, as well as a number of the guards. Then some of them killed the soldiers guarding the doors of the main hall and held it to give the assassins inside time to work. And it nearly did work."

"Damn." Anna breathed, wincing as Jane stitched up another cut.

"We're searching the palace, the camps, everywhere. Anyone who isn't known by sight by someone trusted will be held for questioning. And until this is resolved, no one will be allowed out of the palace without my permission." He said. "Further, until she recovers, one of us will stay here with Elsa all the time. We guard her until we're sure we've rooted out all the assassins."

"Anna, you're staying here too." Jane said. "I don't like the look of some of those cuts."

"My room's just across the hall." She pointed out.

"Staying here until you're better means we can guard you both." Kristoff agreed with the healer. "You'll stay until she says otherwise."

"Fine." Anna surrendered the point.

"Here, drink this." The healer handed her a cup which she downed as quickly as possible. It tasted horrible, but still not as bad as the brew Gerda had given her.

"Merida, you have the first watch. I'm going to pass down orders to the guards." Kristoff rose. "Keep her safe."

The other redhead rolled her eyes but pulled up a chair anyway, seating herself beside the bed. She accepted the dagger he handed her, and Anna could see a bow and quiver propped next to her as well. Once the other two had left and closed the door behind them, she turned her attention to Anna. That familiar glare burned into her, as intense as ever. Anna did her best to ignore it and go to sleep, but being watched this way made her uncomfortable. "What?"

"You saved me." Merida frowned.

"We're on the same side here." She didn't feel like arguing at the moment.

"You didn't have to."

"Yes I did." The medicine was taking effect and Anna just wanted to sleep.

"Elsa seems to trust you. Kris, too." The other redhead said.

"That's their business." She yawned. _Can this get any worse? Or weirder?_

* * *

 _Never ask that question, Anna. The answer is always yes_... She told herself. When she woke up, it took her a moment to remember everything that had happened... last night, she guessed by how high the sun was in the windows. She felt... if there was a word for 'so far beyond exhausted you can't even see it anymore', that was what she felt at the moment. Everything hurt.

Almost everything.

She was still in Elsa's room. In Elsa's bed, where Jane and the others insisted she stay, so that only one room had to be guarded, instead of two. And between the stress of the fight, the pain of her wounds, and the medicine, she'd passed out and slept so deeply that she hadn't even dreamed. And she wasn't the only one.

Elsa was still asleep, but at some point during the night, the blonde had shifted and was now cuddled right against her. Her breathing was still much more shallow than usual, but she looked a little better than she had last night. Her head rested on Anna's shoulder and one arm draped across her chest.

"She shifted there a couple hours ago." Kristoff spoke up softly from the side of the bed as he noticed her waking. "Jane said that we should leave her be, as long as she didn't start bleeding again. How are you feeling?"

"...'vrythng h'rts..." She croaked.

"At least you're awake now. You actually managed to sleep through Jane changing your bandages earlier. Do you think you can stay awake long enough to drink something? We didn't want to risk trying to feed you while you were out?" He picked up a mug from the nearby table.

"I'll try." Anna forced out. She tried to sit up a little, to make it easier, but her body was having none of that. It was like someone had replaced all her muscles with jello during the night. "Elsa okay?"

"From what we can tell, yes, and she's actually doing better than you. Her magic protects her and she can draw strength from it when she needs to, so if given a chance, she can heal from most things. But it takes a lot out of her, so she's shut down hard." He glanced past her to his friend. "Though I'd be lying if I said I'd seen worse. This was way too close for comfort." He held out the mug. "Drink."

She did. The medicine tasted horrible as ever, though she was so thirsty she drank it all without stopping. Once she'd finished that, he replaced it with a cup of water which she also downed quickly.

The potion soon took hold and Anna drifted back to sleep, vaguely aware of the blonde still resting next to her...

* * *

"Fuck..." Anna looked around her room at home. She still hurt all over, though much less than she had before. She could feel several of the deeper cuts throbbing, as well as several areas that she was sure were bruised. She awkwardly reached out and grabbed her phone.

" _Anna?_ " Ariel answered sleepily. " _Why are you calling so early?_ "

"I need help, Ari." She held up her other arm and examined the angry red cut running down most of the forearm. "It's kind of an emergency."

" _Be right there_." Her friend hung up.

Anna reclined back on her bed while she waited for her friend to arrive. When she felt her eyelids start to slide down again, she forced herself to sit up and move slowly to the sofa. The last thing she needed right now would be to pass out. No telling what would happen then. Would she end up back in the other world? And if she did, what would Ariel find when she got here?

"Anna, what the fuck?" Her friend stared at her when she opened the door for the other woman. "What happened?"

"Short answer? Hans." Anna leaned against the wall to support herself.

"Right, of course." Ariel shook her head. "So what do you want me to do? Drive you to the hospital?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, what can I say that will get me help without also making me look totally crazy? Whoops, fell onto the knife block?" She sighed. "Help me out here."

"Hmm, someone attacked you then? Mugging gone wrong?" The other redhead suggested.

"That could work. And on the way, you're going to tell me exactly what happened to you that left you like this." Her friend helped her gather what she needed.

* * *

"...and I passed out right there. Don't even remember getting in the bed." Anna finished her story just as they pulled into the hospital. "I woke up once since then, just long enough to drink some more medicine, then went right back to sleep."

"Damn." Ariel said. "Please tell me you guys are gonna do something painful to that asshole."

"I really hope so."

Further conversation was stalled as they were no longer alone. Anna had no wish to seem crazy, and Ariel just wanted to get this over with. It still took far longer than she hoped, but eventually she saw a doctor, got some stitches as well as a prescription, and she was sent home with instructions to rest.

Ariel dropped her off at her apartment and was about to leave when she reminded Anna of the last bit of bad news for the day. "I'll be by to pick you up at six, assuming you're feeling well enough to go to the Gala. You know Weselton expects us there, and if you're not..."

Anna groaned. "Damn it. Fine. If I feel up to it." _At least I won't get stabbed at this party!_ She lay down on her bed. If she could get to sleep, hopefully she'd wake up in the other world, have a few days there to recover before she had to face the Gala...

* * *

 _Next Chapter: More complications in the other world. The Gala._

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the delay getting this one out there. Hopefully the next one won't take as long. As ever, thanks to everyone for reading!_


	9. Ch 09 - Gala

**Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 09 - Gala

It took Anna a moment to realize where she was when she woke up. Her guess had been right and she was indeed in the other world. What had her disoriented was the fact that she was still in Elsa's room. In her bed. And the blonde was once again using her as a pillow. The other woman looked much better than she had the last time Anna had seen her... yesterday, she guessed, once again cursing the time difference. It made keeping track of anything far too confusing for her.

Elsa shifted in her sleep, her arm tightening around Anna's waist. Given her injuries, it should have hurt, but it didn't. It felt... good. She had no idea what to do, and she really didn't want to move from where she was. _Well, this is awkward..._

Jane was reading in the chair and hadn't noticed her first waking, but now the motion drew the healer's attention. "Good, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Better." She still hurt in places, but it was nothing like the first time she'd woken up after the fight. Even her ankle barely bothered her, though it was hard to tell when she was still here in bed. "Still not great, but definitely an improvement from yesterday."

"That's good. If you keep getting better, you should be well enough to move around some tomorrow. Until then, I want you to stay put." The brunette said.

"I don't feel like arguing that one." She was feeling better, but she still felt drained, and moving was just too much effort. The blonde next to her shifted a little, prompting another question. "How is Elsa doing?"

"She's much better. In fact, I'd say in regards to healing, she'll probably be on her feet before you at the rate she's going. However, her magic really wears her out. As it is, I'm glad she's actually getting some rest. She pushes herself too hard normally, so don't wake her." Jane instructed.

"Has she been awake at all since the attack?" Anna asked.

"Twice, neither time for more than a couple minutes." She was told.

"That's good. That she's waking up at least, I mean." She said.

Jane gave her some more medicine and she ended up napping for most of the afternoon. When evening rolled around, she woke to find Kristoff back on guard duty. And Elsa was still up against her. _Still awkward..._

"Feeling better?" He asked her when he noticed she was awake again.

"Yeah. Whatever that stuff she makes me drink might taste terrible, but it seems to work. Is there some food or anything? I'm really hungry."

"I'll have the kitchens send something up for you." He went to the door and said something quietly to a passing servant. "It'll be here soon." He paused. "I do have some good news. Jane said to tell you that tomorrow if you're feeling up to it, you can move around. Don't do anything to strenuous, but you should be well enough to get out of bed."

"That is good news." Anna smiled.

Elsa made a soft, unconscious whimper and clutched her tigher. Kristoff laughed. "If she lets you, that is."

"Not funny." She groaned.

"What? Can't I be happy that my best friend is finally getting enough sleep?" He smirked.

"Yeah, because she's using me as a pillow!" She rolled her eyes.

Anna sighed and leaned back. It looked like she was stuck for the time being. Kristoff obviously wasn't going to help her, and asking again would just open her to more teasing. She'd just have to wait until he left, or Elsa moved, and she could shift a bit further away. _This is_ not _what I signed up for when I agreed to be her bodyguard! And why is he smiling like the damn Chesire Cat?_

She considered the blonde. It was true that Elsa looked more relaxed than she ever had since Anna met her, and she could sort of understand. The woman was not only ruling her country, but she also had to hold together her alliance against Hans, and she was holding back whatever was causing the weird permanent winter. It was no wonder she was sleeping so deeply.

The blonde did move again, but not enough to free Anna. From the way she was shivering and moving, it seemed like it was a nightmare and not a dream that held her. _Should I wake her? They said to let her sleep, but if she's having a nightmare, wouldn't it be better to help her?_

Elsa clutched her tighter, whimpering again softly. Anna shifted a little and pulled the other woman in closer, making gentle, calming sounds. Her hand rubbed the other woman's back as she tried to comfort her. The blonde hugged her, her fingers digging into Anna's side. Her body molded to fit against Anna's. Elsa nuzzled her neck more, the cool warmth of her breath tickling the skin and sending a shiver through the rest of her. It still amazed her that Elsa could feel like both at the same time. It had to be something to do with her magic, but Anna didn't really care why. It felt good.

She held the blonde until the nightmare passed. When it finally seemed to, Elsa relaxed, though she remained up against Anna. The woman hugged her again, this time not seeking refuge but comfort. A small smile crept up the sleeping woman's face. _She's so beautiful..._

Anna's eyes popped open wide. _Where the hell did that come from?_ It was true enough - Elsa was gorgeous; she'd have to be blind to miss that - but that thought had been different. It was... she'd been thinking how attractive Elsa was. Like... She didn't want to go any deeper down that rabbit hole. Unfortunately, her hormones didn't seem interested in cooperating. An image took hold of her mind, of her turning her head slightly and kissing those lips. It would be so easy to make that vision a reality...

She blushed. She couldn't deny it - right now, more than anything, she _wanted_ to kiss Elsa. The impulse was stronger than she'd ever experienced. She studied the other woman's sleeping face. She looked so peaceful. She had a very faint dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose that Anna never noticed before. Wisps of platinum blonde hair lay across her face like beams of sunlight. She recalled how the blonde looked in the dress at the dinner party. She had been magnificent, absolutely magnificent.

Elsa's hand gripped her, breaking whatever had taken hold of her. Anna breathed a sigh of relief. _What. The. Fuck?_

* * *

Elsa slept for a few more hours, finally stirring around mid afternoon. She blinked, confused, before focusing on Anna. "Anna, you're still here..."

"Yeah, I am. How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Exhausted. I'm so sore, all over. I know I'm healing and it takes so much out of me. I just hate it. It leaves me feeling drained." The blonde said around a yawn. "You stayed here?"

"Kristoff said it would be easier to guard us, since Jane won't let me up yet either." She complained at the last bit.

"Right... he told me that before, I just..." The other woman yawned again. "Sorry, so tired..."

"It's okay Elsa. Just rest. Jane said you'd need it." Anna told her.

Elsa took a deep breath and settled back against Anna, apparently seeing nothing wrong with the situation. She put her head on Anna's shoulder and closed her eyes. One slender arm draped around her waist, that same cool warmth as before sinking into her. "Stay with me."

"I will." She promised, even though she was sure she'd end up regretting it later.

Kristoff, who'd been reading by the door, waited until he saw the blonde had fallen asleep again and walked over. "She's doing better?"

"You know, you could have asked her yourself." Anna said archly.

"Yeah, but then she'd ask about how the troops are doing, or if we found more of Hans' agents, or any of a dozen other things. Instead, she's sleeping again, which she really needs." The shaggy man grinned. "Trust me, if I'd asked, she'd find a reason to get up despite Jane's recommendation. So I'm going to let her get some rest."

"I hate you, you know that, right?" She glared, but had no force behind it. Of course, Elsa chose that moment to nuzzle Anna's neck in her sleep. She could feel her face flushing and she knew she had to be bright red. "...Hate you so much." Kristoff laughed softly at her embarrassment. "What's so funny?"

He shook his head. "I'll tell you another time, okay?"

"What?" She demanded. "Kristoff, what?"

"Oh no. This one is all on you." He smirked and walked away. "Tell her I hope she feels better."

"Kristoff!" She hissed.

* * *

Anna was finally allowed to get up later that evening, provided she 'not exert herself too much' - Jane's words - and she took advantage of it. The prospect of a real bath sang to her. Since she was still restricted to Elsa's room, she decided to try out the bath.

She was glad she did. Elsa's bath was magnificent. The tub was huge, made of the queen's ice, but somehow not melting despite the hot water filling it. She slipped out of the robe and into the tub, letting out a sigh of relief as she sank into the the bath. The water was perfect, the absolute right temperature. Sinking into it felt heavenly. She let the steaming water wash away her aches and soreness.

 _So good!_ Anna smiled and let her eyes drift to a close. She'd needed this for so long. The water felt incredible. If this was one of the perks of living in a magic castle, she could live with it. She sat in the best bath she'd ever taken and for a brief time she could pretend that her problems had all been solved.

Eventually, when her toes had shrivelled to raisins, she pulled herself out of the bath with a brief hint of regret. She made a promise to herself that she would find a way to do this again. _Best bath ever!_ She towelled herself off and opened the door back to the main chamber.

... And found herself in a mirror of the situation from a week or so ago.

Elsa stared at her, those amazing blue eyes wide. She stared at Anna, her gaze slowly drifting down from her face. The blonde didn't look away, instead she was drinking in every detail she could of Anna. _Oh my god! Please please please stop staring at me like this!_ Anna couldn't seem to move from where she was. It was like she was... 'frozen in place' was the obvious pun. And why was her brain making stupid jokes at a time like this?

"Elsa..." She finally got her voice to work.

The blonde took a deep breath and stepped aside, mutely nodding for her to continue by into the room. She slipped past the taller woman and practically threw herself into her clothes as soon as the door to the bathroom shut behind her.

 _Was that... Did she... Was she... What just happened?!_

* * *

After that, it should have been no surprise at all that the rest of the day had been extremely awkward. Neither woman mentioned that whole bath-towel-thing, but it hung over both of them. Elsa kept stealing glances at her all evening, every time letting her eyes linger on her for a while, then blushing and looking away. Every time she did, it sent Anna's pulse racing.

As uncomfortable as the whole situation made her, Anna found herself craving those glances. It was like a sickness that had taken hold of her. Her body was on fire, a need like no other she'd ever felt in her life flowing through her. She had never reacted to anyone like this, not even close.

That night, they both did their best to avoid each other, something that was difficult given that they were still sharing the room. And the bed. Anna did her best to get as far to one side as she could, and Elsa did the same. Sleep was slow to take her, but eventually she managed to drift off...

* * *

 _Anna stared at the ruins of the ice palace. Hans' soldiers swarmed around the larger blocks, hacking away with their weapons and tools in an attempt to remove all trace of their enemy's headquarters. The high king himself stood to the side, watching with a wide, approving grin. Bodies littered the surrounding field, most of them wearing Elsa's colors._

 _The weather itself had turned as well. Snow fell from the sky and the temperature had dropped rapidly in the aftermath of the battle. Cold winds bit through clothes, stealing away warmth. The clouds sealed away the sun and cast a gloom over the land._

 _Anna saw herself kneeling beside a dying Elsa. The Anna there looked a few years older, with a jagged scar running down one cheek. There was a streak of white in her hair that hadn't been there before. That 'her' was tired, defeated._

 _That Anna looked over at her, meeting her eyes. "Being her bodyguard wasn't enough. I did my best, so did she."_

 _"What happened?" She asked her other self._

 _"She ran out of strength. Holding back the weather, supporting her army, everything... We were overwhelmed. Her magic failed her one day and Hans broke her army." The older Anna grimaced. "It can't happen. You can't let it."_

 _"How do I stop it?"_

 _"I don't know. I failed. What I did wasn't enough."_

 _"Tell me." She insisted to her older self._

 _"Find a way to help her. You have to save her. And..." The scarred Anna frowned. "It should have been different. This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out."_

 _"What do I do?" She asked again._

 _"You can't hide. You need to tell -"_

The dream faded before she could find out whatever her other self had been about to say. She lay there on the bed, the details of the dream etched in her mind. This one had been different than others. It had meant something. It had been important.

She recalled some of Gerda's training. The Seer had taught her about foretelling. This dream seemed a lot like what the elder woman's description had been. She felt sure about it. Now she needed to figure out what she was supposed to learn from this.

" _The first and most important thing you must remember is that what you see in a foretelling is never certain. At best, it is only a chance. Too many Seers have fallen into that trap. We can see possibilities, that is all. Never trust it, never rely on it, only learn from it._ " Gerda's voice came to her. " _To do otherwise is to trap yourself._ "

She calmed herself.

First, what she'd Seen was only a possibility. Nothing said it would happen. But it was a possibility and she couldn't ignore that. They were at war, and anything could happen. Hans had proven that there was nothing he wouldn't do to win.

Second, the words of her other self echoed in her mind. _"Find a way to help her._ " She needed to do more than just be Elsa's bodyguard. She'd already figured that much out, but she still didn't know what she could do about it. _"Her magic failed her._ " That much, at least, had been clear. She knew how much Elsa's magic took from her, but how she could help with that, she couldn't see.

Third, she apparently needed to tell someone about this. Someone who might believe her. That pretty much limited it to Jane, Kristoff, or Ariel. Maybe Merida, though that would be rough considering things between them were still uncomfortable.

Finally... Anna didn't have a 'finally'. At best, she had a few hazy ideas, but nothing even remotely like a plan.

She looked down at the blonde sleeping next to her and shivered as the memory of her lying dead at her feet flashed through her mind. She might not have a plan, but she had a goal. Keep Elsa alive and safe, no matter what. Find a way to help her.

Save Elsa. That was all that mattered.

 _Save Elsa_.

* * *

The next morning found them in the same position as the mornings before. Despite starting out on the far sides of the bed, Elsa had ended up cuddled against her, one arm across her stomach. _I don't know whether it's more awkward to keep saying nothing and pretending that this doesn't keep happening, or trying to find a way to bring it up without dying of embarrassment. And if I say anything, what would happen next? Why does life have to be so complicated?_

Elsa made a happy sound as she slept and pulled her closer. _Oh hell, I'm in trouble._ She shifted a little, sliding herself out from the blonde's embrace. She found Kristoff still on guard, though from how he yawned, it was probably close to the end of his shift. "Kristoff," she said softly. "I need to tell you something, it's really important."

"What is it, Anna?" He asked.

"This is going to sound crazy, but last night there was this really awful dream..." She went on to explain about the nightmare and her suspicions that it had been more than just a dream. To her mild surprise, he actually listened, asking only the occasional question. "... and what really sucks is I missed whatever the last warning was. Gerda told me about this, but this is the first time I've ever had it happen."

"I believe you, Anna." He told her when she was finished. "I might not have any talent for magic, but... there's someone you should meet. Come with me." He scrawled a note and left it on the table next to Elsa. "I'll get Merida over here a little early." He sent a servant to go find her.

When the other redhead arrived, she frowned at seeing Anna and Kristoff preparing to leave. "And where are you two going?"

"I think Anna needs to see _them_." Kristoff said.

Merida glanced over to Anna then back to him. "Really?"

"You and I both know that things are getting worse. If I'm right - if she is - we need to find a way to improve our chances. She's Seer-trained. They can help." He replied. "I left a note for Elsa explaining this, she'll understand."

"Fine, but be careful." The other redhead sighed. "I don't like this."

"We will. Take care of her."

Anna ignored the small aches that she still felt as they walked through the palace towards the stables. Rest and medicine had done wonders for her, and while she still wasn't feeling completely back to normal, she felt much better than before. Kristoff saddled Sven as well as a horse for her and they set out. "Where are we going?"

"To see some old allies."

* * *

"Okay, we're here." Kristoff dismounted, and Anna followed his lead. She looked around the clearing but didn't see any people or buildings, or even any signs that there was anyone around. They'd been travelling for a couple hours, and the last hour or so had been off any trail.

"Where exactly is 'here'?" Anna asked.

"Our destination." He smirked, then called out. "Hey everyone, wake up!"

"You're talking to rocks." She stared at him, a bit worried.

"C'mon Pabbie, up and at 'em." He thumped one of the rocks. "Bulda, you too."

"You have been spending way too much time with Sven, haven't you?" Anna said.

"That's what I always say." The rock-person next to her agreed.

"Wait, what!?" Anna jumped back, startled.

"Anna, meet my other family." Kristoff grinned. The rocks next to him unfolded into two... small... rock-people. Both of them looked older than the one next to her.

"They're talking rocks." She managed to get out.

"Trolls." He corrected. "This is Pabbie and Bulda. They raised Elsa and me after my parents..." He trailed off. "Anyway, they took care of us, taught us. They helped her with her magic."

"We didn't have to do much in that area, my boy. Our little snowflake has more talent than anyone I've ever known." The older troll said proudly.

" 'Little snowflake'?" Anna giggled under her breath. "That's too good."

"Don't you dare." He whispered back.

"I would never." She replied innocently.

"So, my boy." The old troll continued, ignoring their hasty exchange. "Did you finally propose? She seems like a wonderful girl! When are you two getting married?"

"Married?" Anna choked. "We're not - I mean - He's - I'm - Wait, what?!"

"Pabbie!" Kristoff stammered at the same time.

"So you haven't asked her yet?" The rock woman next to Pabbie asked.

"Bulda, this isn't Merida." His face reddened. "This is Anna, and we're not here to get married."

"Well, you bring a beautiful redhead to visit, what are we supposed to think?" Bulda said.

"Can we try this again without the embarrassing misunderstandings?" Kristoff asked. "I brought Anna here to talk to you because I think you can help her. I'm pretty sure it's important."

"What happened now? Is it Hans again?" Pabbie frowned.

"Yes... No... Sort of... Look, I think Anna needs to tell you this part." He gestured to her, and she told her story one more time, still a bit weirded out to be talking to rock people. When she finished, he turned to them. "That's why I brought her here. You know I have no talent for stuff like this, but if she does, she's going to need some help."

"I see..." The old troll gestured to a nearby log. They sat down and waited while he considered their tale. "You did the right thing to introduce us. We might be able to help."

"That's good. So, uh... how?" Anna asked.

"We can teach you some. Not the same as the Seers perhaps, but it will still help you." Pabbie told her. "Have Kristoff bring you to visit when you can and we will teach you."

"I'm Elsa's bodyguard, not sure how much time I'll have."

"We'll make time." Kristoff said. "If you're right, this could be important."

* * *

Anna spent the rest of the day with the trolls, learning what she could about their styles of magic. Much of the lesson was similar to what Anna learned from Gerda, but they did give her some new perspectives. She had no idea what good would come from this, as she still had little talent for anything beyond some vague sensory abilities. Certainly nothing like what Elsa could do. Then again, Elsa had been born with her abilities, so that probably wasn't a fair comparison.

When they finally returned to the ice palace, it was well after sunset. Anna couldn't believe how tired she felt, considering how little it seemed like she actually did today. She made her way back through the halls toward her rooms. She passed the study and noticed a lamp burning. Looking in, she saw Elsa going over some papers. "Elsa, you're supposed to be resting."

"I was all day, but I'm still the queen. I can't just stay in bed all the time. I have to get some work done." The blonde said. "And where were you anyway? Kristoff's note just said 'out to see friends'."

"He took me to meet the, uh..." Anna looked around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear. "... the trolls. Last night I had a... vision, I guess you could call it."

"Oh?" Elsa turned her full attention to her. "Can I ask what about?"

"It was a warning, sort of." Anna found herself telling her story for the third time today. The queen listened, frowning slightly towards the end. Anna couldn't blame her, as she didn't like having to tell her about seeing them fail and die.

"I understand why he took you to them." A wistful smile played across her face. "I wish I could have the time to see them more. I miss Pabbie and Bulda."

"They really raised you two?" She asked.

"After Hans' assassins killed his parents, yes." The blonde confirmed sadly. "They had taken us to the trolls before, because of my magic. After... well, they didn't think we'd be safe anywhere else. So they kept us, raised us and trained us. I wouldn't be doing nearly as well as I have been without them."

"Well, they want to train me too, when I can visit. I wanted to talk to you about it first, since you made me your bodyguard." Anna said.

"I think it's a good idea" Elsa told her. "I don't mind if you take the time to train with them."

"Thank you, Elsa." She smiled.

* * *

Anna's schedule normalized over the next few days. Mornings and early afternoons were spent with the trolls, learning what she could about magic and dreams. Late afternoons and early evenings were back in the castle, being Elsa's bodyguard. So far, that was more or less just following the blonde around and making sure nothing bad happened. When the queen finally decided she'd gotten enough work done for the day, they'd go back to their rooms and sleep.

Even though she'd been cleared to be up and around, Jane insisted than Anna stay in Elsa's room for the first couple of days just in case. Just like the past few times, she started out on the far side of the bed, but somehow they always ended up in the middle with Elsa curled up against her.

After a few nights of that, she moved back to her room across the hall. That night, she didn't sleep well and neither did Elsa, from what she could tell. The blonde looked like she hadn't slept all night and spent most of the next afternoon and evening shooting pouting frowns at Anna when she thought the redhead wasn't paying attention. The really weird thing was, every time the taller woman did that, Anna ended up feeling vaguely guilty. And she didn't know _why_. It made the whole second half of the day very uncomfortable.

 _What the hell? I know I didn't say anything wrong, hell, I barely said anything to her all day, so why is she so pissed at me? Is it because I went back to my room last night? Does that mean...? Nah, no way. It can't be that. Can it? Then what should I do?_

The next night was just as rough. Anna tossed and turned for hours before finally getting to sleep...

* * *

... And woke up on her own bed back in her world. It took her a moment to realize where she was. She knew it was possible, but she hadn't expected it tonight. A quick glance at the clock informed her that she had maybe an hour before Ariel arrived to pick her up for the Gala. She threw herself into the shower, hoping to be ready by the time her friend arrived.

At least she'd already laid out her clothes for the evening, but even so, she had barely finished zipping her dress up when Ariel knocked on the door. Her friend wore a sea-green dress that really complemented her hair. The other redhead blinked in surprise that Anna was actually ready to go when she arrived. Clearly she'd been expecting Anna to be still getting ready or trying to find an excuse not to go.

"Wow, I don't have to fight you on this?" Her friend stared. "You're really going to go?"

"Ari, trust me, there is no way this can be worse than the last dinner party I went to." Anna smirked.

"True enough, I guess." The other redhead looked at her closely. "You seem better now, did you...?"

"Yeah, I took a nap and wham, ended up over there. At least the time weirdness actually worked in my favor for once. I feel... not good, but yeah, better."

"Yeah, you don't look like you fell on a blender anymore." Ariel smiled. "So, are you ready for this?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." She got up and grabbed her purse.

They arrived at the museum and Anna suppressed a shudder. She knew it wouldn't be like before, but she couldn't help think about the attack at the last event she'd been to. Granted, she really didn't expect assassins here, but the way her life had gone crazy, you could never tell. Hopefully nothing would go wrong tonight.

* * *

Anna should have known better than to tempt fate with that thought. The evening started off bad, with a sudden rainstorm that started just as they pulled up to the museum. They huddled under the small umbrella Ariel dug out of her trunk and darted into the building. Even so, they still needed a few minutes to dry off once they were inside.

After that, Weselton found them with a last-minute problem. One of the catering crew tripped and spilled on a (thankfully relatively worthless) painting, and they had to take care of it before more permanent damage occured.

And then...

... By the time they'd finished dealing with the parade of petty disasters, the Gala itself was already underway. Anna recognized some of the bigger donors, but it seemed like the majority of the guests were celebrities and prominent local figures. In fact, aside from Ariel and her coworkers, she didn't know most of the people in attendance.

And speaking of disasters...

"Oh god!" Ariel nudged her and pointed.

"Is he... dancing?" Anna smothered her laughter. She couldn't believe that their usually uptight boss was out there on the dance floor making a fool of herself. Weselton was bobbing and ducking and jumping and... trying really, really hard. When he dipped a little too low at one point, his toupee flopped down, held in place only by the velcro.

That was one of the few bright spots during the evening. She spent far more time that she wanted fending off the attention of various men, not all of them single. And none of them appealed to her at all. Ariel also suffered through some of that too, and they did their best to rescue each other whenever they could.

Anna took refuge in conversation with a woman who was one of their largest donors. Aurora was only a few years older than her, but she'd spent a few years in a coma after a horrible accident. Her husband Phillip had stayed with her until she finally pulled out of it just a few years ago. They'd been married for a while before that, but from how they acted together, they seemed to be like they were still newlyweds.

A twinge of sadness ran through her. _Why can't I have a relationship that good? God, why can't I find someone to love me the way he loves her?_ Pieces of a thought started to fit together in her mind. _Am I just looking in the wrong places? All I want is to be happy._

She got herself some more champagne from one of the passing servers and downed it quickly. She replaced it with a fresh one, sipping slowly this time. Her heart ached, not a physical pain, but a deep, emotional one. The alcohol didn't help all that much except to let her smile a little easier and present the image that she was happy to be here. She envied how effortlessly cheerful Aurora and Phillip were. She even envied Ariel, as her friend never seemed to let anything stop her from trying to be happy. Right now, the other redhead was flirting with a visiting artist. He looked a little younger than her, but the way he stared at her - and her back at him - Anna had a feeling she'd be taking a cab back home tonight...

Anna took another sip, not even tasting the drink as her mind whirled. She wasn't jealous that her friend had met someone interesting. Not really. And that bothered her. She was happy for Ariel, but... She looked around the room. None of the men her interested her, true. However, her gaze kept returning to a taller blonde woman wearing a form-fitting navy blue dress that showed off her curves rather nicely. _If only her eyes were blue instead of that brownish green..._

Even then, the woman still wouldn't be Elsa.

That thought blindsided her, slamming through her in an instant and chasing away any fuzziness the alcohol might have caused. Her eyes widened. _Did I really just think that? Oh hell..._ She slipped back into the restricted part of the museum and headed for her desk. Sinking into her chair, she tried to calm down even though that seemed like an impossibility right about now.

 _What is wrong with me? Elsa is my_ friend _... my boss... my queen, I guess. I can't like her like that. I can't! My life is way too messed up as it is. This can't happen now. Oh god, I'm so screwed._

 _I like Elsa._

The blonde was amazing. Smart, fun, interesting, beautiful, strong... Anna could go on and on about her, now that she was actually thinking about her that way. Sure, she hadn't known her that long, but that didn't seem to matter. She wanted Elsa. She liked their dinners together... hell, she looked forward to them. And... those recent nights where she'd been stuck in Elsa's room hadn't been all that bad. If anything, waking up with the blonde next to her felt really, really good.

 _I like Elsa. And yeah, I do mean as more than a friend. I am so beyond screwed._

Anna wished for a moment that she'd brought a drink with her, but that would probably be firmly in the 'bad idea' category. She wanted the comfort, because in the space left by the passing of one stupid realization, her whole life was changing in a fundamental way.

 _I like Elsa._ It was that stupidly simple. And yet it was one of the hardest things she had ever had to deal with. Because in its wake, so many other parts of her life suddenly made sense. Such as, why her luck with dating had been so consistently horrid. Why she had been upset but not really surprised that her marriage had fallen apart. Why she hadn't been interested in any of the guys Ariel had tried to set her up with.

A knock on the wall interrupted her steady spiral of depression. Ariel leaned in, smiling widely. "Hey, I was wondering where you ran off to." Her friend's smile faded when she took in how Anna looked. "Whoah, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her voice was little more than a raw whisper. "Everything."

"Okay, I need a little more to go on than that. What happened?" The other redhead came in and sat down across from her.

"I think I finally realized just how utterly screwed up my entire life is." She laughed bitterly. "God, I need a drink so bad right now."

"Complete sentences now... you're doing better but I still don't understand what happened. Can you start from the beginning?" Her friend asked.

"I was talking with Aurora and Phillip - you remember them, from the fundraiser a few months ago? - and it all kinda hit me. Damn, I need a drink if I'm gonna talk about this." She looked up at Ariel. "What about you? You were with that artist guy. Weren't you gonna..." She blushed a little. "...y'know..."

"Take him home with me? Maybe, but that can wait. He's busy sounding out potential sponsors at the moment anyway." She stood up and motioned for Anna to stay seated. "Wait here, I'll go get us some drinks."

Ariel stepped out and returned a few minutes later with a bottle and a pair of glasses. She poured the wine for both of them and handed Anna a glass. "There, now talk. Why would Aurora upset you so much? She's so nice."

"It's not about her, not really." Anna took a sip, then another as she considered how best to explain. "I... there's someone I like. As in, really like."

"Unless they're already taken, I don't see how that's a bad thing." Ariel shrugged. "Shouldn't you be happy that you finally have someone?"

"I don't have - _them_. That's kinda the problem." She drained her glass and sighed. "I don't know what to do, either. I mean, you know I'm horrible with this stuff normally, and I haven't dated since... god, since college. And this... it's beyond complicated. And I have no idea where to even start."

"Anna, unless it's Hans or - _ewww_ \- Weselton, you know I'll help you with whatever you need. So tell me who he is and we'll make sure you get him." Her friend started to refill the glass, but paused when Anna snorted. "What did I say?"

* * *

"Fuck." Ariel said quietly when Anna had explained the basics. "So you're..."

"Pretty sure, yeah." Anna admitted quietly.

"Wow." The other redhead finished her own drink.

"The worst part is, I was sitting here thinking about it and it's so stupidly obvious. How did I not figure this out before?" She shook her head and smiled sadly. "I mean, I can look at a guy and know he's attractive, but I don't feel any... there's no attraction there for me. I've never felt that passion that you and everyone else seem to."

They sat there for a while before Ariel finally asked, looking a bit worried. "So, ah, who is it? I'm, ah, a bit curious... I mean... That is... I..."

"It's not you. I don't think I could handle that." Anna smirked. "We'd probably end up killing each other before we made it a week."

"Probably." Her friend agreed, looking relieved. "So if it's not me, then who?"

"That's kinda the problem." She gulped. "It's Elsa."

"Elsa..." Her friend paused. "Like, the queen Elsa? The one you're working as a bodyguard for? That Elsa?"

"Yes, that Elsa." She confirmed. "So yeah, I'm gay _and_ interested in my boss."

"Wow." Ariel breathed. "What are you gonna do then?"

"Hell if I know. I'm not even sure I should do anything. I mean, do I really need to make my life any more messed up than it already is?" Anna sighed. "Assuming I even have a chance, anyway."

"So you're not going to do anything?" Her friend asked in that 'I'm frustrated with how pathetic you're acting right now' voice. "You're giving up before you even try?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I... I don't even know if she's... if she'd be into me. If she's even into women too." She barked a laugh. "God, yet another thing I never thought I'd have to worry about. How do I find _that_ out? I don't even know where to begin?"

Ariel sat back in her chair. "Not something I know anything about, either. I don't suppose you're going to just ask her?" She grimaced at Anna's flat look. "Right, yeah, I don't see that happening."

"Hey!" Anna protested.

"Well, you know I won't stop bugging you about it until you do something. Because I'll be honest, I worry about you. You deserve to be happy. And if Elsa makes you happy, then I want to help you any way I can. Even if that means giving you a kick in the ass from time to time when you need it." The other redhead grinned. "Like right now, because otherwise you'll find a rock to hide under and pretend that you don't want this."

"One of these days, Ari..." She threatened ineffectually.

"Yeah, yeah..." Her friend waved it off. "Look, why don't you try asking that Kristoff guy? If they really were raised like siblings, maybe he'd know."

"That might work. If I can figure out a way to ask him without letting him know why I'm asking." Anna temporized.

"And if you find out she is?" Ariel prompted.

"Lots and lots of denial?" She joked halfheartedly but the attempt fell flat. "I know, I can't do that. But seriously, I have pretty much no experience with asking anyone out, so I have no clue how to go about it with Elsa. Not to mention, there's that whole little thing with the war and crazy weather and everything, which might limit my dating options, you know? So yeah..."

"I really hope it works out for you. I just wish I could do something to help."

"If I figure anything out, I'll tell you." She sighed. "I hope I don't screw this up."

* * *

 _Next Chapter: After the Gala._

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the long delay on this one, got stuck with a bad case of writer's block about 80% of the way through plus some computer trouble that kept me from working on this for a few weeks. I really hope to get the next one done much sooner._


	10. Ch 10 - Seesaw

**Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 10 - Seesaw

The sounds of the Gala echoed through the halls to the employee offices, but Anna barely noticed the muted music and conversation. She wanted, more than anything, for this evening to be over. Unfortunately, she would be stuck here for at least another few hours, until after the damn event ended, and probably longer. Ariel must have realized the same thing, because she reluctantly set her glass down and glanced at the door.

"We've been in here too long, we need to head back to the party." Her friend stood up. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Anna joined her and they made their way back to the main room. Aside from Ariel's admirer, no one had noticed their break. Weselton was dancing with one of their backers, Ms Ursula. The older woman had an amused grin on her face as the spindly man cavorted in front of her. She was one of the museum's biggest donors, but something about her always gave Anna the creeps. Maybe it was the satisfied smirk the woman wore whenever she made a donation. Or maybe it was how she looked at people - far too similar to how Hans had looked at her. Like... she wanted to control you. Or crush you. Or a hybrid of those two. Whatever, it made her nervous.

Well, it wasn't her problem at the moment. And God, how she wished that it was. If only the worst thing she had to worry about was keeping their bigger donors happy...

That's right, she was in love with her queen (and yes, that part was weird too... she never expected to have a queen). And she still had no clue what to do about that little fact. Or if she should do anything... And if she did, would Elsa reciprocate?

That worried her. She thought the other woman might be interested, but then she would be the first to admit that she was pretty clueless when it came to anything romantic. Hell, she'd spent her entire life thinking she was straight... Maybe Elsa really did like her, or maybe she was just lonely. After all, the blonde had said it herself, she had very few opportunities to make friends.

Even if by some miracle Elsa was interested, she still might say no. Political complications, social ones, even personal ones, like the fact that the blonde might not be willing to admit that she was, or even be aware of it. She might reject Anna so she could remain available. It might also be against the values of Arendelle.

And even if none of that happened, she still had no idea what to do. She barely knew what dating was like _here_ , let alone having any clue about over there. Anna groaned inwardly at that little thought. She'd have to find out, and that promised to be a series of horridly awkward conversations. Kristoff would tease but help her, Merida might or might not help, Jane probably would... but their first loyalty was to their queen, and they might tell her before Anna was ready.

"Excuse me? I saw you over here and I had to -" An arrogant looking man gave her an oily and sadly familiar smile. She knew where this was going.

"Not interested." Anna cut him off sharply. She'd never been interested in his type before, and after her revelation earlier tonight, she was even less so now.

"Ah, but you have yet to give me a chance, and I'm sure that -"

"No." This was the last thing Anna wanted to deal with right now.

"I must insist -"

"Please, boy, can't you tell the lady isn't interested?" This time it wasn't Anna who interrupted him. "Why don't you go back to chatting up some art students? I need to have a word with Ms Summers here."

"Ms Ursula." Anna shot the older woman a relieved grin, but part of her dreaded finding out what she wanted. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." She waved a hand. "If anything, you saved me from suffering through another dance with Director Weselton. I can appreciate his enthusiasm, but his form could use some work."

"Yes, he is pretty bad." She giggled.

Ursula took a long sip of her drink as she gazed out at the party. "I hate these things, you know? Unfortunately, it's expected that I show up. I may be in charge of Trident Investments, but my board insists appearances be kept up. And that means letting Weselton stomp all over my feet."

Anna said nothing to that. Clearly, the woman had approached her for some reason. She couldn't see the trap yet, but she had a gut feeling that it was there.

"It's such a shame when someone steps all over your toes, wouldn't you agree?" The older woman's gaze lcoked onto Ariel, who was chatting with a couple artists. _Uh oh_...

"I don't think..."

"I have plans, big plans, for my step-son, and I do not appreciate having those plans interfered with by anyone. I would hate to have to reconsider shifting my group's support to one of the other museums." Ursula's smile was downright predatory.

"Are you saying -" Anna started, but the older woman waved a hand to silence her.

"Please pass word to your friend that I do _not_ appreciate anyone playing games with Eric's affections. My patience has limits, and those limits are rapidly approaching." Ursula nodded firmly to her.

 _Is she serious?!_ "I don't think I'm the one you should be discussing this with."

"Let me be perfectly clear. It's one thing for my step-son to have a little fling with some silly artsy girl, in fact I'm only surprised it lasted this long. But I will not leave my family's future in the hands of someone like her. As her friend, I strongly advise you to tell her to end their 'off again, on again' thing... or _I_ will." The older woman gave her another of those shark-like grins. "Have a lovely evening, my dear, and do give my best to Ariel."

It was only a few moments more before Ariel walked over, having noticed their conversation. "What did she want?"

"She, uh, sorta threatened me... well, threatened you but she wants me to deliver it. She said she wants you to end your relationship with Eric, who is her son? Step son?" Anna said.

"Yeah, step-son." The other redhead glared in the direction the older woman had gone. "I really shouldn't be surprised she did this."

"Is this why you and Eric have so many problems?" She asked.

"Pretty much." Ariel confirmed. "Every time we get back together, something happens. She promotes him. There's a health scare. The family needs him back, whatever. After the last time, I said I was done with the drama, that if he really did love me and we had a chance, he'd cut ties with the poisonous bitch. Obviously that didn't happen, and yet something like this occurs, and my first thought is that I still want him. What's wrong with me?"

"You love him, don't you?" Anna asked quietly.

"I've tried so hard not to." Her friend whispered back. "My life would be so much easier."

"I believe I said something similar earlier tonight." She smirked.

"Shut up. This is nothing like that." The other redhead protested.

"Uh huh." Anna grinned.

"You're loving this."

"Little bit."

"Jerk."

Anna shared a smile with her friend. "What are you going to do?"

"Well, I'm not going to let her win, that's for certain. And I'm tired of her trying to get to me through others." Ariel sighed. "I'm sorry about this, Anna. She'll probably try to cause trouble for you, since you're my friend."

She rolled her eyes. "Unless she sends assassins or something, I'm not too worried."

"She does have quite a bit of influence with the Board. She could try to get you fired."

"I'll deal with it if it happens." Anna paused. "What about you? Wouldn't she try to get rid of you first?"

"And make me a martyr in Eric's eyes? Never." Her friend shook her head. "No, it's always through friends, relatives. Always someone else. Always some layer of deniability."

"That's so twisted. And he's never caught on?" She asked.

"Sadly, no. She married his dad when Eric was only five or so, she's been the only mother he remembers. And she never had kids of her own, but she still wants a legacy, so she tries to shape him as best she can." Ariel grimaced. " 'Twisted' is an accurate word for it."

"Is all this you've been so noncommittal about him all this time? Why it's never worked for you two so far?"

"Pretty much. You're not the only one with messed up circumstances." The other redhead groaned. "Which means I need to get to him before she does. I can only guess what she'll try now that you didn't stop me."

"I'd give you advice, but I don't think I'm the best person to talk about romantic matters." Ariel snorted at that, and Anna ignored her and continued on.

Or tried to.

A jolt of pain lanced through her before settling briefly behind her eyes. She winced at the sensation, feeling a strange tugging in her brain. _What the hell is going on now_?

"Anna, you okay?" Ariel stared at her, concerned.

"Just a bit of a headache coming on." She deflected.

"Too much to drink?" Her friend guessed.

"Probably." _Probably not, this doesn't feel like that kind of headache_. She did her best to steady herself and turned back to her friend. "Why don't you call him now? Get to him before she does."

"We already spent too much time away from the party." Ariel replied.

"I'll cover for you." She motioned to the door. "Go. Call him before it's too late."

"Thanks." The other redhead smiled, relieved.

Another jolt of pain and 'pulling' shot through her, and she sat down on a nearby chair before any stagger would be noticeable. She breathed a sigh of relief that quickly faded. She still had another few hours here at the minimum before she could leave.

Her hopes that she'd be left alone were dashed after only a few minutes. Weselton dropped by and pointed her towards an elderly couple, the DeVilles, who happened to be the wealthiest donors for the museum as well as thoroughly unpleasant people. She took that back. Mr DeVille wasn't personally bad, but everyone knew he had all the backbone of a wet noodle. If he was the only one she had to talk to, it wouldn't be so bad. But his wife...

Anna braced herself and walked over to the couple, a fake smile plastered on her face. Before she got within a few paces of them, she could smell the reek of stale cigarettes barely masked by cloying perfume clinging to the tall woman. She made the necessary small talk, most of which revolved around reminding Anna that she earned so much less money in a year than they made in an hour...

She escaped the exercise in humiliation with a larger-than-usual donation for the museum, but unfortunately, while that earned her praise for Weselton, it also encouraged him to send her out to talk to more of the donors.

She had just finished talking to the third target when the pain-slash-pulling sensation returned, this time even worse than before. Her vision blurred, stars spinning behind her eyes. She put out a hand on the nearby wall to steady herself. Her knees buckled as the pain continued to hammer at her.

"Anna!" She dimly heard Ariel's voice, but it faded...

* * *

... as Kristoff roughly shook her shoulders. "Anna! Wake up! We need you now!"

"Kr - Kristoff?" She croaked. She tried to sit up, but a remnant of the pain drove her back down to her pillow with a groan. "What's wrong?"

"Are you hurt?" He asked, concerned.

"Really bad headache." She waved it off. "Why did you wake me?"

"Something's wrong with Elsa. Her door is frozen shut, and the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. We know she's in there, because we can hear her thumping on the walls. We have no idea what happened, and we're running out of options for getting in to find out." He said. "When knocking didn't wake you up either, I got worried."

"You're sure Elsa is all right?" Anna asked.

"We know she's alive, but all right? I can't say. I was hoping either the Seers or the trolls might have taught you something to help."

"Give me a minute to get dressed and let me take a look, but I've gotta warn you, I don't have much talent in that respect." Anna got out of bed and went to her closet. She grabbed a simple shirt and some pants. She changed quickly behind the privacy screen. "Has anything like this happened before to her?"

"Not like this, but..." His voice quieted to the point she could barely hear him. "When her powers first started developing. And again when Hans' assassins killed m- my parents."

"Ah." She finished dressing and joined him at the door. A few more steps and they were at Elsa's door. Anna immediately saw what he'd been talking about. A sheet of pale blue ice covered the entire surface as well as the floor around the bottom and the walls. "Wow..."

"You see why we're at a loss?" He gestured at the magic ice. "Even the windows are like this."

"Elsa?" She leaned against the door and called out loudly.

If the blonde replied, she couldn't hear it through the doors and ice. She waited a moment, then knocked loudly. "Elsa!"

"..." She heard a muffled sound from the other side, along with a returning thump. _Elsa_.

Anna pressed the ice, reaching out like Gerda had taught her. She sensed Elsa's magic coursing through it, a raging torrent instead of her usual controlled flow. _Guess Kristoff was right. She can't control it right now._

"Elsa, can you hear me?" The thumps continued, so Anna guessed that while the blonde could hear her voice, she couldn't understand the words.

"Elsa, I'm gonna try to get you out. But you have to help me. Open the door. Let me in." She called. She could feel Elsa's magic growing stronger, and the ice spread out from the door. The guards all stepped back, and even Kristoff flinched a little, but Anna stayed where she was.

The chill seeped up her arm. Anna didn't let it distract her. She needed to get through to Elsa. Besides, the cold didn't bother her anyway. It felt like Elsa.

She took a deep breath and reached out the way Gerda had shown her. It had never worked for her before, but she had to try. She didn't even try to fight the magic.

 _Let it go_.

It flowed into her.

Through her.

 _...Elsa..._

The magic felt like every winter day, from the fiercest blizzard to a beautiful day with the sun glinting off fresh fallen snow. It battered her, pushed against her, tried to protect its mistress from this new intruder.

"Anna?" Kristoff's voice sounded from nearby.

"It's so beautiful..." She breathed.

 _Elsa, let me in._

She pressed harder.

The magic resisted. It wanted Elsa for its own.

 _Elsa, I'm here for you_.

...

 _Anna?_

 _Elsa! You can hear me!_

Another surge of magic surrounded her. With her mind occupied elsewhere, she barely noticed the sheen of ice sliding from the floor and the door along her body.

"Anna!" "Don't touch her, sir!" "By the gods!"

 _Anna, are you really there?_

 _I'm here, Elsa. What happened?_

The magic howled, sinking its claws deep into her.

 _I'm so sorry. I tried, but I'm so tired._

 _Are you all right?_

 _I can't stop it, Anna._

 _It'll be all right, Elsa. I'm here now. Let me help you.'_

 _I don't want to hurt you._

 _You won't, trust me._

"Anna! Get away from the door!"

 _I can't control it anymore. I held on for so long, I can't do it anymore..._

 _You don't have to do it alone. I'm here for you._

The magic surged, stronger than before, desperate to overwhelm her...

 _... All right._

She _reached_ out, and felt Elsa doing the same.

... Connection ...

Her hand sank through the ice, the rest of her following. It swallowed her. Engulfed her. She fell into it. Let it pass through her. She let Elsa guide her...

* * *

Anna blinked.

Elsa knelt next to her, staying carefully out of reach. The queen had her arms crossed and her shivers obviously had nothing to do with the temperature. "Anna?"

"Elsa?"

"Stay back!" The queen held out a hand to ward her off, and spikes of ice jutted from the floor in response to the motion. "I can't... It won't listen to me any more!" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't."

"I already did." The blonde half sobbed and pointed towards Anna's forehead.

She could feel a small trickle of blood, but she ignored it. It didn't matter. She couldn't let it. Not now. She had to help Elsa. She didn't let herself flinch as she took a step past the spikes and reached out. The ice trembled, one particularly sharp piece grazing her skin.

The blonde's hand met hers, their fingers linking together. Anna's heart skipped a beat. Elsa's grip loosened, but Anna held tight and didn't let her pull away. Tears glistened at the corners of of the queen's eyes. She gave a sobbing gasp and threw herself against Anna, wrapping her arms around her. "I'm so, so sorry..."

" _Shhh..._ It's okay, Elsa. It'll all be okay." She held the taller woman.

"I don't know if I have the strength."

"Then I'll give you mine." Anna closed her eyes, opening herself the way Gerda taught her. She sensed when Elsa reached out to her. Whatever small talents she had, everything, she held nothing back. She let Elsa draw on that power, strengthen herself.

She lost track of everything except Elsa. Time stopped to matter. She wasn't sure how long it took before the queen stopped, but when she did, Anna felt exhausted. Her whole body ached, like she'd just run a marathon. She managed a weak grin at Elsa. The blonde returned it with a relieved sigh. "Thank you."

"Always." Anna looked around at the ice still covering the walls and floor. "What happened?"

"I've always had to keep control of my magic. It took years until I managed to fully control it. But I have to be very careful. It reacts to my emotions, so when I get upset or anything, it can slip." She said. "Every time it does, it gets harder to regain control."

"And so..."

"Since I was hurt in the attack, it's been fighting me, even worse than before." Elsa her a weak, sad smile. "Last night, I lost control of it, just for a moment, but that's all it took."

Anna pulled the other woman in and embraced her. "It's not your fault, Elsa. You can't blame yourself, when you've been having to hold it all by yourself for this whole time."

"It _is_. I'm the queen, I'm the one with the magic, it's my duty. I'm the only one who can do this. I have to."

"You're also a person, and you're not alone. Let me help you." She hugged the blonde. "Whatever you need, it's yours."

Elsa sobbed and hugged Anna back, hard enough to make her ribs ache a little. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but it didn't matter. She let the blonde take all the time she needed. Eventually, the taller woman pulled back a little, though her hands rested on Anna's arms.

"Thank you." The queen said quietly.

"Always." She replied.

"How did you know what to do?" Elsa asked.

"I didn't. I just sorta went with instinct." Anna admitted.

"Whatever you did, it worked. I have it under control again. For now." The blonde smiled gratefully. She shook herself, looking exhausted. "Can you help me up? My legs don't really want to work right now."

She stood up and reached out to help the other woman. With some effort, she managed to get Elsa over to her bed. "Are you okay now?"

"I think so. I'm tired, but I feel stronger. I think I can hold on better."

"Do you think you can unfreeze the door? I'm not sure exactly how I got through it the first time, and Kristoff is probably freaking out by this point." She smiled wryly. "I mean, he woke me up to get in here when he couldn't..."

Her voice trailed off. _That's right, he woke me up. I was in my world, and then there was that awful headache, and... I passed out? Is that what happened? Did I pass out and end up here, or did him waking me up pull me to this world? I wish I knew more about how this magic worked. I really hope it was just a freak coincidence. Because if that happens when someone in the opposite world wakes me up, this just got so much worse._

"Anna?" Elsa reached out and put a concerned hand on Anna's arm.

"Sorry, my mind wandered a bit." She really hoped she wasn't blushing right now, because the blonde's touch felt... nice. Very nice. Which was probably something she shouldn't be thinking, given the circumstances. Ariel might be right, that she needed to be honest with Elsa, but this wasn't the time. The queen nodded but was still staring at her. "What is it?"

The blonde pointed to her forehead. "You - your hair... I'm so, so sorry!"

"My hair?" She reached up, but didn't feel anything wrong. She stood up and hurried over to the mirror. Her hand drifted to her forehead as she stared at her reflection. The small cut was nothing, it had already stopped bleeding. But there was now a long streak of white running all the way down it.

Exactly the way her hair had looked in the dream.

Her fingers traced the streak. It was too precise to be merely coincidence. _If this happened, does that mean the dream will come true as well? Or can I still stop it? I hope I'm not too late._ She glanced back at Elsa. _I have to find a way to prevent it!_

"Is - is it bad?" The blonde's voice focused her back to what was happening.

"No." Anna replied. "I'll just have to get used to it, I guess."

"Anna... I didn't mean to hurt you." Elsa's eyes were fixed on the ice-white streak.

"You didn't." They both turned towards the door when a muffled knocking sounded from the other side. "You really need to fix the door."

The blonde gave a tired laugh and waved one hand towards the door. The ice covering it slid off spiraling into a point before vanishing. "Kris, it's fine now. Don't -" Both women winced as the door crashed off its hinges. " - break my door." Elsa finished with a sigh.

"Elsa, you're..." He looked from the exhausted queen to Anna and back.

"I'm all right. I have it under control again." She shot a smile over to Anna. "With a little help, anyway."

"What happened?" Not seeing any present threat, he gestured and the guards left the room.

"It slipped." The queen glanced away. "Don't say it."

"Say what? That you push yourself too hard? That you can't keep doing this?" He growled.

"What choice do we have? Are you going to hold back the cold? Who else is there?" Elsa demanded.

He sighed. "I know, but I don't have to like it. This damn war has cost too much. I can't lose my sister as well."

 _Okayyyy... time for me to go too..._ Anna stood up, trying her best to stay inconspicuous as she headed for the door.

Her best wasn't good enough. Elsa turned her head at her motion and pointed her way. "Stay." Anna blinked but returned to where she'd been sitting on the bed. The queen returned her attention to Kristoff. "You're right."

He jerked back in shock. "I'm sorry, I must have heard that wrong. Did you say..."

"I'm not saying it again, Kris." She glared at him, but the smile she wore softened it. "I know I'm doing too much, but I wish you could understand. This year, it's been so much worse. Winter is pressing in harder than ever."

"We'll figure something out. We always do." He reassured her, then turned towards Anna. "By the way, how did you get through the door? You sort of 'sank' into it, I guess."

"Honestly, I don't know how it happened. I just... I didn't fight it. I tried to reach out. Whatever I did, it worked." Anna tried to explain. She glanced over at Elsa, who nodded agreement.

He shifted his attention between the two women before shaking his head. "I'll leave you two to discuss the magic part. I need to make sure word of this doesn't spread too far. The last thing we need is Hans thinking you're weakened."

"Wait." Elsa frowned. "Maybe that is exactly what we need." She held up a hand to forestall any protests. "We can't keep fighting this war on multiple fronts. We have to take care of one of these threats. If Hans believes I'm losing control, you know he'll attack. He needs a win, especially after how his last few tries failed."

"He won't just send troops. If he thinks you're weak, he'll send more assassins too." Kristoff warned. "We were lucky last time. Very lucky. We might not be on the next attempt."

"I know, but we have to do something. I don't know what we can do about the frost giants or the winter, so we might as well focus on the threat we can fix." The queen said.

"This seems like a really bad idea, but I guess you're right, we really don't have any good ones at the moment." Kristoff said. "If you're intent on doing this, I can make sure word is spread about your 'accident'. There are some of traders visiting who I know will carry tales to Hans. However, first I need to increase the guard in the palace."

"Do you really think he'll believe it?" Anna asked. "He's not stupid, unfortunately."

"He might have some doubts, but he'll believe because he wants to believe it. Everything we've seen and what you told us..." Kristoff frowned. "His coalition is on shaky ground, he needs a victory or he'll start losing jarls. If enough leave him, even if they remain neutral instead of joining our side, he'll be weak enough for us to break. He has to risk it."

"Plus, he knows I was wounded when the assassins attacked. Hopefully he will take these rumors as a sign that I'm still severely hurt." Elsa added.

"If you want him to think that, you'll need to stay out of sight as much as possible." Anna pointed out. "Otherwise he might figure it out."

"True." The blonde sighed.

"I don't like this, but if we're going to do this, I'll make sure only the royal guards are allowed inside the palace for the time being. And I want you to stay with Elsa as much as possible too." He said.

Anna gulped. _This is going to get really complicated..._ "I will, but first I need to talk to the trolls. It's important."

"Fine. I'll have Merida and Jane stay close tomorrow while you go see them." Kristoff said.

"Don't I get a say in this? I'm the queen." Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Sure, but neither of us would listen to you about this." He grinned. "I like having you alive."

"Me too." Anna agreed softly.

"I'll go and get started on the plan." He stood up and headed for the door. "Anna - "

"I know." She slumped back on the bed. "You want me to stay here if this is going to work." _Great... I don't see any way this could get more awkward_.

After he left, her prediction proved unfortunately accurate. She had no idea what to say to the other woman, and it seemed like Elsa felt the same way. The blonde kept glancing over at her, then looking away. Anna had several questions she wanted to ask, but they all boiled down to variations on the same thing. And she had no experience in this area. She'd always been the askee, not the asker. She needed to figure out something though, or this would be incredibly uncomfortable.

"Anna, is something wrong?" _Oh god, how to answer that one? 'I have no idea how to talk to you because I think I might love you.' Yeah, no, that qualifies as a Very Bad Idea._

"I... No, not wrong." She shook her head.

"Then what?" The blonde asked.

"It's complicated." Anna sighed.

"You can tell me, you know."

 _I'm going to HAVE to tell you eventually, that's the problem._ "I will, just... I'm not sure... I don't know how..." She gulped. "Damn it, I'm sorry."

Elsa stared at her for a long moment, then turned away. "When you're ready then."

"Elsa?" The blonde _hmmm_ ed and looked back to her. "Your magic, when we were... linked or whatever that was..."

"Yes?" The queen asked.

"It's beautiful." She smiled at the other woman. _Okay, maybe not what Ari would want me to say, but it's something, I guess._ And from the answering smile on the blonde's face, maybe that was enough for now.

* * *

The next morning found Elsa nestled against her when she woke up. It felt really nice and yet incredibly awkward at the same time, as the blonde had starred in several of her dreams last night. Most had been fairly tame, but simply remembering the few that stood out made Anna blush when she looked at the sleeping blonde. Especially since she was willing to admit to herself just how much she liked and wanted this...

She told herself that she really should get up and out of the bed before Elsa woke up, but that small part of her brain didn't seem to communicate with the rest of her. In fact, the arm she had around Elsa's shoulders - _how... when did_ that _happen?_ \- gently pulled the sleeping woman closer. The blonde felt cooler than normal for a person, but for some reason, Anna liked it. A lot. It was comfortable. Right.

 _Yeah... I'm so lost._

What was new was a low, almost background awareness of the other woman's magic. She felt the hum of Elsa's power flowing out of her, maintaining the castle and more. The sheer scale of it was awe inspiring. If this was what Elsa dealt with every day, no wonder she had to work so hard to control it.

Anna tried to imagine just how strong Elsa had to be to do all this and still have power for other tasks...

The blonde's eyes fluttered open and she smiled softly at Anna. _So beautiful_. "Good morning, Anna."

"M-morning." She stammered. "I... I should get ready." She sat up quickly, freeing her arm with a wince. "To go. Go see the trolls!" Elsa's face twitched. _Is she mad? I thought after yesterday..._ "We agreed I should speak with them! I'm not avoiding you!" Another wince as her mouth kept going without imput from her brain. _Why did I say that?_ "I mean, I need to ask about the magic stuff." She trailed off as she realized that the other woman was fighting back laughter. "It's not that funny."

"Yes it is." Elsa smirked.

Anna decided that any further argument would only leave her more embarrassed, so she got up and went to dress. Maybe Kristoff would be free before she left. Free and alone, so she could ask him about Elsa. Because if she didn't, she'd be stuck dealing with more and more awkwardness. _Besides_ , she shot a glance back towards the blonde, _I really want to make this work with us. I need this to work!_

Once she was ready, she sought out Kristoff, which proved to be easy. The royal guard she asked pointed her towards the queen's Ice Master. Once she found him, she waited until he finished his business with the couriers and approached.

"Anna, good morning." He frowned and waved away the last of the couriers. "It turns out that I really didn't have to do much for this plan, as plenty of rumors have already sprung up. Apparently one of the maids overheard something last night and told a cook..."

"I guess there's not much choice at this point." Anna said.

"Not really. I can guarantee that while we've probably gotten rid of most of Hans' actual agents, he'll still hear about it in a day or two at most." Kristoff sighed. "I might not like this plan, but we're stuck with it now."

"I don't like making her this big a target either." She admitted.

"She's always been a target, and she will be until the war ends. This just makes it more urgent."

"Right..." She made sure no one was close enough to overhear. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." He said.

"I need you to promise not to tell anyone, okay?" He nodded, and she continued. "Uh... it's... I... damn it!"

"Anna?"

"I -" She gulped. "Um, look, you know Elsa best... does she..." Anna trailed off. She felt her face heating, and looked away before...

"Does she what?" Kristoff stared at her, clearly trying to figure out what she wanted to ask about.

 _Oh god..._ Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke up. "What kind of person is she... y'know... interested in?"

"Ah." His expression twitched into a smile. "So that's how it is."

"Kris, please." Anna wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment.

"Fine, fine..." He smirked, then gestured to a nearby sitting room. Once they were inside, he shut the door. "I'd rather not have anyone else overhearing this, though many people already know parts of it at least. Elsa hid her powers for a while but... you can't hide forever. And once knowledge of that spread, well, suitors stopped visiting."

He glanced over at her. "She didn't mind that very much. None of them ever really interested her. For the longest time, she thought there was something wrong with her. Especially after I met Merida."

Anna felt a jolt. Kristoff's story sounded far too similar to her own experiences. "So what happened?"

"There was a girl in one of the villages near my parents' home. Astrid. She was one of the few people who didn't fear Elsa and her powers. She'd been my friend forever, and when my family took in Elsa, they became friends too. And, well, eventually Elsa started to notice her, if you know what I mean."

"I think I do." She said. "Did it... did she..."

He shook his head sadly. "No, unfortunately, Astrid wasn't interested back. There was another boy in the village... It crushed Elsa. She moped around for a long time. Even when she recovered, she wasn't the same."

"Ah." She sighed.

"Nothing's really changed since then. She's met women she's been attracted to from time to time, but none of them returned it. Once the war started..."

"Yes, I get it. No time, no chances."

"My turn. You're attracted to Elsa." It was a question, but from his tone, he already knew what her answer would be. Kristoff waited for a protest, but Anna only blushed and nodded.

"I am." She admitted.

"Good." He grinned.

"That's it? Good? That's all you're going to say?" Anna fumed.

"Pretty much." He shrugged. "What? Can't I be happy for two of my friends?"

She glared at him but he kept smiling. "I guess that means you don't mind, then?"

"I don't, but you better be serious. I don't want to see her hurt again." Kristoff warned her.

"I don't want to hurt her, either." She insisted. "Do you think... um, does she ever talk about me?"

"She hasn't said anything to me about you." Noticing her crestfallen look, he added. "It's not as bad as it sounds. She has no idea how to talk about anything like that. Unfortunately, that means you're probably going to have to tell her. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Whenever I'm around her, I can't think right. It's like she turns my brain to mush, and I don't even mind. And I hate to say it, but I don't have any experience with this stuff either. That's why I wanted to talk to you about her." Anna sighed. "Help me out here."

"Oh, I will. Like I said, I want to see her happy. I could try to find out more, but this isn't my area either. Merida says I'm about as romantic as a rock." He laughed. "Then again, the trolls have given me more than a few pointers over the years, since they think they're love experts. You could always ask them, as you're going to talk to them anyway."

"Can't hurt to try. God, I'm seriously considering taking advice from talking rocks."

"Be nice."

"Just saying, my life is way too weird." She smiled wryly. Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know, nothing on you or Elsa."

"Well, I think you'd be good for her anyway. Gods know, she deserves some happiness. I'll put in a good word for you with her." He paused. "You are aware that this will mean more trouble for you. If Hans hated you before, you'll only be a bigger target to him if he finds out. Then there are the jarls and clans. They won't like anyone getting close to her."

"And here I thought telling her would be the hardest part. Well, if they make problems, I'll deal. Unless they try to kill me, I'll worry about Hans first." Anna shrugged.

"Had to warn you. Now I need to get back to helping the rumors spread. Have a good visit with the trolls." Kristoff waved.

* * *

"Hello? Pabbie? Bulda?" Anna called from the edge of the clearing. It still felt strange to say the least, even after everything that had happened to her.

"Anna, good to see you!" Bulda... _unrolled_... for lack of a better word next to her and she jumped a little.

"Gah, I so don't need to be scared like that." She turned to face the troll.

"Is everything all right? You seem a little jumpy." The troll squinted at her. "And there's something a little frayed around you. Did anything magic happen to you recently?"

"Um, I guess. Elsa had a little problem and sort of froze her room shut." Bulda nodded at her to continue, so Anna kept going. "No one could get it open, so I, well, tried to reach out. I could feel her magic, and I thought maybe if I did, I might be able to get her to sense me too."

"Did it?" The troll asked.

"Yes, but not how I expected..." She explained about sinking into the ice, feeling Elsa's magic, helping the queen get it under control. The troll asked her a few questions, but for the most part, she simply listened to Anna's story.

"That's not all there is, is it?" Bulda prompted.

"There was something else, but I don't know how to explain this part. I don't know if you'd believe me anyway." Anna sighed.

"Oh, you might be surprised." The troll smiled.

"All right." Anna started with the first dream and waking here with Gerda, and continued, only leaving out a few things, like her conversation with Kristoff this morning. Despite his suggestion, she just couldn't bring herself to ask about something so personal. Not yet, anyway.

"That explains a lot." Bulda said, once's she'd finally finished. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I noticed that there is something different about your magic. It feels... foreign. If you really are from another world, that makes sense. Though, I am worried about this latest incident. You said there was extreme pain and then you passed out?"

Anna nodded. "The last thing I remember from it was being at the Gala and then... here."

"This was different from before?"

"Yes, I guess. I really can't say, as this is the first time I've ever been awake for it. Well, sort of awake, anyway." She winced, remembering the incident. "And I wish I hadn't. It's not something I want to have happen again."

"So you really don't control it?" Bulda asked.

"No. The best I can do is stay awake so I don't... shift. That's all. Why did you just accept all of my story so easily?"

"Anna, you're not the only one from another world. The frost giants are also from one, though obviously not yours. How they're getting here, we can't say." The troll frowned. "I hoped, after hearing your story, that you might know something."

"Sorry."

"Well, I'm not sure what Pabbie and I can do about this, but we'll do what we can." Bulda said. "As for Elsa's problem... how much has she told you about her magic?"

"Bits and pieces, and I've figured out some other parts." Anna told her.

"Then I'm sure you've seen that her emotions play a large part in her control." The troll waited for her nod. "It took her a long while to get used to it, but she did. She's had trouble along the way, but we're so proud of how well she's done. But with the war and Hans, things have been harder than ever for her. It takes more and more out of her to keep it under control."

"That matches what Kristoff told me." She said.

"What interests me is that you managed get through her magic like that. And you helped her get it back in control." Bulda stared at her. "Without knowing what you were doing. Not only that, but she would have had to let you in, even if she didn't know what she was doing."

Anna gulped. "Yeah, about that, ever since then, I can still sorta sense her. Her magic, I mean. It's weird."

"You can feel her magic? Even now?" The troll asked.

"Yes I can." She pointed upwards. "I guess it makes sense, but it's strongest in the clouds."

"I see..." She waited while the rock woman thought for a while. "And you say this started when you passed through the ice her magic conjured."

Anna nodded. "When I was in it, it was like I was talking to her. It was so intense..."

"Wait." Bulda held up her hand, stopping Anna. "You _talked_ with her like that?"

"Yes, why?" She asked warily. The way the troll stared at her made her nervous.

"Oh! Oh my..." The troll giggled. "That- I never thought I'd see it happen."

"See what happen?" Anna felt the trap closing in.

"Oh, it's nothing, dear, don't worry about it." Bulda grinned. "Just be sure to invite us to the wedding when you two work it all out."

" _Wedding?!_ Wait, what?" Anna sputtered. _Am I that damn obvious to everyone_? "We're not - I can't - that is... oh god!" She slumped down, hyperventilating. "Does everyone know?"

"Oh, don't say it like that. You can't think of love as a bad thing." The troll patted her arm. "And don't worry, I'm sure Elsa doesn't know yet. She's smart, but when she tends to hide from anything involving feelings. You'll have your work cut out for you, she's a bit of a fixer-upper."

"I can't do this..." She whispered. "Ariel, Kristoff, now you. It's like you all expect me to... to... what? How do I do this?"

"Be honest with her and tell her how you feel. Then figure it out from there." Bulda said. "Just have a little courage. I think you can work this out."

* * *

Anna found herself outside Elsa's room that evening, and she simply couldn't bring herself to go through the door. Every embarrassing conversation she'd had in the past while came flooding back to her, all the advice and prodding from her friends. It was all giving her the beginning of a truly epic headache.

No, not just a headache...

"Fuck." Anna staggered, bracing herself against the wall as a massive jolt of pain, even worse than the one at the Gala, seared through her. Her knees buckled and her vision swam. "No no no no no..."

" _Anna?_ " Elsa must have heard her from the other side of the door.

"I'm... _gyaaahhhhhh_... I'm here." She gasped.

" _Is everything okay?_ " She could hear muffled footsteps approaching.

"I'm -" Anna started to say 'fine' but her voice caught as the pain got worse. The door opened, and Elsa stared at her. She tried to say something more, but she simply couldn't speak.

"Anna!" The queen rushed to her side and grabbed her, holding her up. "What's wrong?"

"..." Her voice just wouldn't work. Her sight was fading and she could feel unconsiousness pulling at her. It hurt more than the last time. _Please no. Not again! Not now! I was going to tell her... tell her..._

"Anna!" The blonde yelled, looking around. She called to someout out of Anna's line of sight. "Get Jane! Hurry!"

"... El... sa..."

Darkness took her.

* * *

 _Next Chapter: What happened to Anna this time._

* * *

 _A/N 1: Sorry for the lengthy delay on this one. Hopefully the next will be out sooner, but I can't guarantee it. I kept getting maybe a line or two down and then losing my drive to write. I know where I want the story to go next, I just couldn't seem to get it there._

 _Writer's block sucks._

 _Then, when I finally got past that part, my new hard drive died and I lost most of my progress. I managed to recover some of it, but I had to start over on the rest. I really started to think I'm cursed on this one. Ah well._


	11. Ch 11 - Taking a Chance

**Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 11 - Taking a Chance

 _Anna yawned and stretched. She didn't particularly want to get up. The morning light, streaming in softly through the curtains bathed the room in a warm glow. She pulled the covers close, snuggling happily against the cool heat next to her. She was rewarded with a gentle 'hmmm' of pleasure._

 _"I don't want to get up." She murmured._

 _"I don't want you to, either." Elsa's purred. The queen slipped an arm around her and hugged her. "But I am interested in some... breakfast."_

 _Anna blushed at the implication clear in the other woman's tone before returning her smile and sliding in closer to the blonde. She wasn't sure how long it would be before something interrupted them, either one of Elsa's subjects with some new crisis, or Weselton calling with a far less important problem. So until that happened, she intended to enjoy her company._

 _Elsa apparently had the same thought, as before she could turn to face the blonde, she felt her hair brushed aside to expose her neck and kisses plastered on the freckles. A small gasp escaped as the queen kissed up to her jaw and towards her mouth. Anna shifted, wanting to kiss her too, and Elsa took the opportunity slide on top of her._

 _Their lips met in a sloppy, awkward kiss that left both women giggling. She wrapped her arms around the beautiful blonde and pulled her down for another kiss, this time lingering and deep. She couldn't get enough of kissing her, revelling in finally being able to do this. Elsa's tongue teased her lips, demanding entrance. Her own met the other woman's and she moaned into her mouth._

 _Meanwhile, the blonde's hands were busy exploring the edges of Anna's shirt, brushing along the skin and driving her wild. One hand slid under the fabric. She shivered in anticipation as the queen sent those fingers gliding up... up... up... Her own fingers dug into Elsa's back as the blonde's hand gently cupped one breast. A louder, more insistent moan tried to escape her, but the queen was still busy kissing her._

 _Anna's back arched, nearly jerking her off the bed as Elsa teased one nipple then the other. She was vaguely aware of how shallow and rapid her breathing had become. But only a small part of her paid any attention. The rest was focused on..._

* * *

* **beep** *

'what the hell?'

* * *

 _Anna found herself at the same clearing as her last vision. Once again, she watched herself holding the queen as the blonde bled out. She still didn't have the scar, but she reached up, touching her hair. The streak of white that was in it since she'd passed through the magic ice wall matched her future self. She frowned at that. It meant that this vision was one step closer to coming true._

 _"Why?" She asked herself quietly. "Why can't I change it?"_

 _"She needs you. She's not strong enough by herself. Not against both Hans and the frost giants. You have to find a way to give her strength." Her older self replied sadly._

 _"How, though? How do I help her?" Anna said._

 _"If I knew that, she would be alive now." Future Anna sighed. "I tried to stay at a distance. Keep things quiet. I didn't want to cause any problems for her. But that bastard Hans still found out and used it against us. He spread the news and turned one of our allies. They let his forces through the lines and..." She gestured to where Hans' troops were busy looting the ice palace. "Well, you see."_

 _"So, we can't hide. Was there anything else?"_

 _"Yes, there will be another frost giant attack on you soon." Her other self shook her head. "I'm not sure when - moving between worlds makes that really hard to pin down, but it happened soon after..." She gestured to her hair, then to the scar running down her cheek. "That's when I got this. Maybe knowing it's coming will change things."_

 _"Oh good. Something to look forward to." Anna sighed._

 _Future Anna looked down at mortally wounded blonde in her arms. "I wish... I wish I had told her. We got closer, but... I was scared. Scared of what she'd say. Scared of what people might think. So I thought what we had was enough. That it would be enough to just be a little more than friends." She stared up at her earlier self. "I'm an idiot. Don't make my mistake. Tell her. Before it's too late."_

 _"Yeah, Ariel said pretty much the same thing." That brought up another thought. "Do you know what happened to me? I was at the Gala and I felt a massive headache coming on, but I don't know what happened after that."_

 _"It's bad." Other Anna said. "You're going to -"_

* * *

* **beep** *

'oh come on! i was just about to find out -'

* * *

 _"Stop fussing, you look wonderful." Idunn snapped as she reached out to fix her daughter's unruly hair. "I finally have your hair just right, so leave it alone, Sunflower."_

 _"Sorry, Mom." Anna relented, allowing her mother to finish her work._

 _"I want today to be perfect for you." The older Summers said._

 _"So you've said twelve times now." She rolled her eyes._

 _"You'll thank me later." Idunn replied firmly. "Now see if you can sit still for five minutes, please."_

 _"Tyrant." Anna grumbled but complied. She would never admit it to her mother, but she was nervous too. She knew the older Summers was only giving her a hard time to help calm her down._

 _There was a knock on the door, and Idunn peeked out into the hall. She exchanged a few words with whoever was out there. Anna raised an eyebrow and Idunn smiled at her. "That was Kristoff. It's time."_

 _She managed a timid smile and stood up. "You'd think I would be the steady one. I mean, I've done this before."_

 _"True, but you're doing it right this time." Idunn smiled. "Are you ready?"_

 _"Yes... No... How the hell should I know?" She smoothed her dress. "Oh god... I can't do this." Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Oh god, oh god, oh god..."_

 _"Anna." Idunn steadied her daughter. "You can do this. You know you want to. Besides," She winked and grinned, "Do you really think you'll ever do better?"_

 _Anna smiled back weakly. "No way." She took in a deep breath. "Okay, let's go."_

 _"Deep breaths." Ariel smirked from the doorway._

 _"How long have you been watching?" She demanded._

 _"Long enough. Consider it revenge from when it was my turn." Her friend guided her out of the room. They made their way down the hall, pausing before the doors. "Last chance to make a break for it." Anna and Idunn both glared at the other redhead. "Sorry, couldn't resist." She opened the door for Anna. "And speaking of not being able to resist..."_

 _Anna's breath caught as she drank in the sight of Elsa waiting for her. The platinum blonde smiled softly, sending the butterflies in Anna's stomach into overdrive. She returned the smile as she stared at the other woman. Elsa looked beautiful in her dress, having opted for a simple yet elegant gown that suited her perfectly. Before she could stop herself, she had moved over to the queen and was kissing her tenderly, ignoring the heavy sigh from her mother and quiet laugh from Ariel._

 _"I believe I just won the bet." Kristoff gloated from behind Elsa._

 _"Bet?" Anna asked. Elsa, meanwhile, contented herself with sending her best friend a glare._

 _"We had a little bet going on how long it would take one of you to break from the script. It wasn't on purpose, at first anyway. Merida and I were talking, and I said you two would end up kissing before the ceremony, while she insisted that Elsa would panic and freeze her room shut."_

 _"You said bet though." Elsa insisted pointedly._

 _"Well... Ariel sorta overheard us, so she said you'd end up tripping during the processional." Anna shot a glare of her own at her friend. "After that, it wasn't fair to keep it just us." She grinned over to Anna's mother. "Idunn had you down for spilling something on yourself."_

 _"Mom!" She hissed._

 _"What? I know you, Sunflower."_

 _"I hate you all. Just saying." She softened it with a smile to her friends._

 _"Noted. Now, are you two ready to get married?" Her mother asked._

 _Anna shared a smile with Elsa, then nodded -_

* * *

 ***beep***

'this is officially not funny anymore!'

...

'what the hell is going on? why am i stuck here? wherever here is?'

...

'i want out of here!'

* * *

" _I want out of here!" Anna shook the bars of the cell. "You know what he's planning. He'll kill us all!"_

 _The guards in the hall ignored her. She called out again, but still had no reply. She looked around the small cell, hoping that she could find something to help her. She knew she could call out the ice sword, though she hesitated to do so. The moment she did so, she would surrender her only advantage left._

 _"Give it up, Anna. His thugs won't listen to us." Kristoff leaned back against the wall._

 _"They have to know. You heard him, he -"_

* * *

 ***beep***

'he what? damn it, if this is going to keep happening, at least tell me something useful!'

* * *

 _Anna blocked another blow, the ice sword absorbing the impact easily. Her own magic had reacted, reinforcing Elsa's and allowing her to withstand the greater strength of the frost giant. The monster, having expected her to stagger back, was left exposed and vulnerable for a moment, and that moment was all Anna needed. She lashed out, cutting down the monster and turned to face the greater battle._

 _The frost giants pressed deep into Elsa's forces. The creatures had almost broken through, and probably would have if not for Elsa's ice minions. Still, the battle wasn't going well. If they -_

* * *

 ***beep***

* * *

 _Anna straightened the painting for the fifth time and hoped that Weselton would find something - and someone - else to bother him for a while. The director had been anxious about their latest exhibit for a week now, ever since Ms Ursula had donated over fivemillion dollars to the musuem. She had been sending increasingly impatient emails asking about what the director had planned to do with the money. While the emails never outright said "or else", it was heavily implied._

 _She nudged Ariel, but her friend remained in her slump. She'd been that way ever since Eric had broken off their engagement. She knew that Ursula was behind it, but she couldn't prove it. She -_

* * *

 ***beep** *

* * *

anna floated.

she wasn't sure where she was.

had something gone wrong?

was this what she travelled through when she moved between worlds?

or was this something to do with whatever had caused elsa's magic to slip out of control?

* * *

 ***beep***

* * *

 _"Anna!" Elsa screamed. The queen raced towards her, catching her before she could fall. The pain had faded though she still felt the blood flowing profusely from her wounds, which had to be a bad sign. She couldn't seem to right herself, either. Her legs refused to work. The ice sword slipped from her grip, clattering to the ground as her vision faded -_

* * *

 ***beep** *

* * *

 _Anna let Elsa guide her as they danced across the ballroom. The blonde held her closer than strictly necessary, though neither of them seemed to mind. "A little faster now." The queen muttered -_

* * *

 ***beep** *

* * *

 _Anna slammed the door shut, sealing Elsa away from the_ -

* * *

* **beep** *

* * *

"Anna..." Ariel's voice intruded on the edge of her awareness.

Her eyes fluttered opened. She tried to move, but something held her still. "Wher'm I?" She slurred.

"You're in the hospital. You collapsed at the Gala and hit your head, apparently. You were bleeding for a while, but the doctors got that closed up pretty quickly." Her friend informed her. "They couldn't wake you, however. And there was concern because your brain waves were unusual, so they said."

"...coll'psed?" Anna croaked.

Ariel nodded. "You just pitched forward. It was really scary to see. What happened to you? I know this has to be about 'over there'."

She looked around, making sure that they were alone. "Kristoff woke me." She still sounded raspy, but better than when she woke up. "There was... Elsa fr'ze the door... couldn't... c-couldn't open it, hadta get me. I- I- _ghah_ \- I made it through and helped her open it..." She trailed off as the door opened.

The nurse who stuck her head in blinked when she saw Anna awake. "Well this is a surprise. The doctors thought the new medication might help you, but I don't think even they expected you to be awake yet. Ariel, I'm going to have to ask you to leave so I can call them in to check her."

Her friend frowned but nodded, and got up to leave the room. The nurse busied herself checking Anna's vitals for a few minutes until the door opened once more and a doctor walked in. "Hello, Anna. I'm Dr Doppler. It's good to see you awake, you had a lot of people worried about you." He glanced over her charts and checked the monitors. "You seem to be dramatically improved from last night. Your records don't say anything, but I have to ask, have you had any similar problems in the past?"

"No." She shook her head, sending a wave of dizziness through herself. "Nothin' like this."

"Interesting. And I'm sorry I have to ask, but any drug use? Alcoholism?" She again told him 'no'. "I must say, this is extremely unusual. There are no indications of a tumor or internal bleeding. In fact, aside from your scalp wound, you're in excellent health. Still, I'm afraid we're going to have to have you stay here for a few days for observation."

"Days?" Anna groaned.

"I know, I know. No one ever likes to stay with us." Doppler smiled. "Don't worry, your friend Ariel has been here the whole time, and your mother will be here soon, too."

" _Mom_ is coming here?!" She squeaked.

"Yes... We contacted her, as she's listed as your emergency contact." He frowned. "Is that a problem?"

"Great. Just great. I'm never gonna hear the end of this." She sighed. "I don't suppose you could just knock me back out, doc?"

"Cheer up, Miss Summers. I'm convinced you'll be back on your feet in no time." The doctor said. "I'll send your friend back in, if you're up for some company."

* * *

" - so that's what I can figure happened." Anna finished catching Ariel up to where she remembered passing out at the ice palace. "I figure, based on what you and the doctor said, as well as what happened over there, that when they gave me that new medicine, that tried to pull me back to here, but I was already pretty messed up from the first time, so I got stuck... somewhere."

"Somewhere?" Ariel asked.

"No idea. I kept... dreaming, I guess is the best way to put it. It was pretty disturbing for the most part. Parts of it seemed so real, so hard to tell I was just dreaming. And it kept shifting from one to another. It was so weird. Some seemed to be trying to tell me something, others were just, well, nice, I guess."

"And you couldn't get out?" Her friend replied.

"No. The dreams kept shifting faster and faster. It was at the very end that I heard you and woke up." She said.

"Right, so you said some of them were trying to tell you something?"

"Maybe. I saw a future self trying to warn me about Hans attacking us. Then another time I was fighting and we were losing. Another one, I was captured. And in one, I was dying." She frowned. "I never got to stay in any of them long enough to see much that would be useful."

"And what about the others?" Ariel asked.

"I'd, uh, I'd rather not talk about those." Anna blushed.

"Ah..." Her friend smiled knowingly. "That good?"

"Um, not gonna say." She turned even more red.

"Not going to say what, Sunflower?" Her mother's voice sounded from the doorway.

" _Sunflower?_ " Ariel whispered with a wide grin.

"Mom, you didn't have to come here, I'm going to be just fine. The doctors even said I could go soon." Anna protested, even though she knew her mother wouldn't listen.

Idunn stared at her flatly for a moment. "What? I can't visit and help my daughter when she's in the hospital?" She walked over and leaned down to hug her. "I was so worried when I got that call, I had to come out."

"Thanks, Mom." Anna hugged her back.

"So, would you like to tell me what happened to you?" Her mother sat down in the other chair next to her. She reached out, brushing the strand of white hair just over the bandage on her forehead.

She exchanged a look with Ariel. "I passed out at the Gala and hit my head. I guess it looked worse than it really was, because the doctor says I'm doing really well."

"Is she really?" Idunn turned towards her friend. "She wouldn't tell me anything different even if she was gushing blood."

"She is, more or less." The other redhead nodded. "I'm Ariel, by the way."

"Idunn Summers. Thank you for taking care of my daughter. It's good to know she has friends here." The older Summers smiled. "If you've been here with her all night, why don't you go home and get some rest now? I can watch her from here."

"Sleep and a shower sounds great. It was nice to meet you, Ms Summers." Ariel stood.

"Idunn, please. And I hope to see you more while I'm out here."

"Likewise. Take care, Anna. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Seeya, Ari." She waved farewell to her friend.

Idunn waited until the other woman left, then turned back towards her daughter. "All right, it's just us now. Please be honest, what's really going on? You've been weird on the phone for a while now, and this... you've always been healthy, no problems like this at all. Spill."

"Mom..." The last thing Anna wanted was to get into all this right now. But her mother had _that_ look on her face, so she knew the older Summers really would keep at it until she told her something. She raced to come up with some version that wouldn't make her mother think she was completely crazy. "Fine, it's kind of a recent thing, I just didn't want to worry you, okay?"

"Clearly you failed, if I'm getting a call from the hospital." Her mother glared. "You know I hate it when you hide important things from me."

"I'm sorry." Her mother always had a way to make her feel like she was still a kid. "It's just really hard to talk about. I was waiting to find the right way to tell you."

"Tell me about what? Does this have to do with whatever you two were talking about when I walked in?" Idunn frowned.

"Yes, but... it's not the kind of thing I want to talk about in a hospital room." Anna hedged. She hoped her mother would leave it alone, but she doubted it.

"Because you have so much else to occupy your time?" Idunn smirked.

She sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you, but you have to promise me you won't think I'm crazy, okay?"

"Crazier than usual?"

"Mom..."

* * *

It took her a while, but she eventually laid out the basics for her mother. Idunn had been skeptical at first, then grudgingly accepting, and now she'd arrived at worried with a touch of angry and hurt. "Anna, I... this is..."

"Crazy? I know, trust me. I have to live it."

"Why didn't you tell me this before now? God, Anna, you nearly died over there, wherever there is, and I'm just now hearing about it? Would you have even told me if the hospital hadn't contacted me?" Yep, 'hurt' was definitely winning.

"Mom, I didn't know how. And it's not like I wanted to tell you this over the phone." She said. She hesitated, but she needed to say this next part too. "There's more. It's not bad, but... it's a change, and it's really important, and I need you to listen and not judge, okay?"

"I promise." The older Summers agreed.

"I... I realized something about myself." She closed her eyes tightly. "I'm..." Her voice choked up. She couldn't do this. What if Idunn hated her? What if... _Elsa is worth the risk._ "I'm a lesbian." She managed to whisper.

Idunn just stared at her, not saying anything. She stood up. Anna felt a lump in her throat. Was her mother just going to leave? Had she ruined their relationship?

Then the older Summers enveloped her in a hug.

"M - Mom?" She returned the hug.

"Sunflower, I'm proud of you. Thank you for telling me." Idunn pulled back, smiling. "I'll always support you."

"Thanks, Mom." Anna grinned, relieved.

"I take it you met someone who made you think about this." Her mother smirked. "Is it Ariel?"

She choked back a laugh. "God, no. We'd probably end up killing each other."

"But there is someone, right?" Her mother pressed. "You met someone who made you think about yourself."

"Yes, but... can we not do this now? I really, really don't feel up to it now."

"You'll tell me eventually, you know." Idunn smiled.

"Probably." Anna admitted.

"Is it that Mulan you told me about? The singer?"

"Mom, she's got a boyfriend. And no, not her."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so curious now. What kind of woman interests you?"

"Ugh, it's like being in high school all over again."

"What? After Adam, I want to make sure whoever it is deserves to have you." Idunn patted her hand.

"Trust me, she does." Anna reassured her. "You don't have to worry about that."

"Kida, maybe?"

"Mom!"

* * *

"... And so that was the end of her ice skating career." Idunn finished the story.

Ariel laughed. "Please tell me you have pictures of that glorious event."

"Better, I made a video. I'll show you later, after she stops trying to Vader us to death." Her mother grinned.

" _She_ really doesn't need this right now." Anna grumbled.

"Well, if you don't like it, we could always change the subject. To, say, maybe your mystery woman..." The older Summers said.

"No. Nope. No way. Uh uh. Not gonna happen." She protested. "And don't you dare say anything to her, Ari. The last thing she needs is more encouragement."

Ariel glanced between the two Summers. "Yeah, I don't want to get in the middle of this. In fact, I'm gonna go get some coffee. I might be a while."

"Coward." Anna said. "Get me a hot chocolate while you're out there, will you?"

"Will do."

"You could just tell me her name." Her mother said.

"Right, because that will be the end of it." She rolled her eyes. "You know the next thing you'll be asking is what she's like, all that stuff."

"Anna..."

"I told you, Mom, I'm not doing this now." She said.

"Just a hint?" Idunn asked.

"Fine, she's not anyone you've met, and that's all you're getting out of me." Anna replied firmly.

"Hmm..." Her mother looked away, clearly thinking about what she'd been told. "I don't know her..." Idunn's eyes widened. "Oh! That must be it!" She smiled widely. "I'll just have to ask Ariel about that later."

"Ask her what? Mom, no!" She protested.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all. I thought you didn't want to talk about it anymore."

Anna groaned. It was going to be a long afternoon...

* * *

They were talking about her. Anna knew it. Every now and then, her mother and Ariel would glance her way and one of them would giggle. Even worse, the nurse had intercepted Ariel on the way in and confiscated the hot chocolate and sandwiches! Instead, she'd been forced to choke down the bland hospital food. Even cardboard would have been a step up from that slop.

"All right, that's enough conspiracy, you two. No more, unless you tell me what you guys are going on about." She said.

"Oh nothing much, just your little _royal_ crush." Idunn smiled.

"Oh god. I knew it!" Anna glared at Ariel. "You just had to tell her about Elsa."

"Anna, she already figured it out." Her friend rolled her eyes. "Anyone who listens to you talk about her for five minutes could figure that out. Honestly, she's the one who asked me if it was her. I just confirmed it."

"It's so adorable." Her mother added. "I wish I could meet her."

"I know." Ariel agreed. "I'm so curious myself. I mean, Anna's told me about her, but that's no substitute. Plus, she lives in a real ice palace. Wouldn't that be awesome to see?"

"The only problem is, you said she hadn't asked her out yet. I shouldn't be surprised. She always did need a push when it comes to stuff like this. I'm more surprised that she actually told us about her in the first place." Idunn said.

"Look, I was going to tell her how I feel, but I got pulled back here. Horrible, horrible timing." Anna insisted. "I want to tell her... She's... I _need_ to tell her."

"So tell her." Her mother said. "Lord knows, if I'd waited for Agdar to make the first move, I'd still be waiting even now. Step up and ask her out."

"Uh, you do know she's the queen and we have that little war thing going on? I wasn't kidding when I said it's not really a good time." She said.

"Trust me, if you keep waiting like this, it will never be a good time. And really, I think if you do tell her, it'll end up a pretty good time for you both." Idunn winked.

"Mom!" Anna sputtered.

"What? I told you before, I want to see you happy. It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Her mother shrugged.

"I'm with her." Ariel gestured towards Idunn. "Get to the kissing already."

"I was planning on it. You know, until I ended up here. Which wasn't my idea at all, by the way." She said. "I really did want to tell her..." She yawned. "I may get to soon..."

"Say 'Hi' to your Queen for us." Ariel smirked.

* * *

 _"Very good, Elsa. Now, try again, and this time, keep the snow contained." An older, male voice spoke._

 _Anna watched - from where, she didn't know, she didn't seem to have a physical body - as a man knelt next to a young Elsa. She looked to be maybe 4 or 5. She held out her hands and snowflakes swirled, forming into a ball and holding there for a few seconds before exploding into a puff. She sniffled. "I'm sorry, Papa, I can't hold it."_

 _"It's fine, Snowflake. You'll get it." He hugged her. "But you have to keep practicing. You need to control this, or people might find out. Not everyone will understand, not like I do. Some might hate you for it. Call you a monster. You need to protect yourself. Conceal, don't feel."_

 _"Conceal, don't feel..." The little Elsa repeated. She frowned. "Is my magic bad, Papa?"_

 _"No, Elsa. Winter is a natural part of life, an important part. Unfortunately, too many people don't understand." He sat down beside her. "Never forget - your magic is not evil. It is life, part of your life, part of all life."_

 _"Life?" Elsa asked._

 _"Yes. Winter clears the way for new life. It's part of the cycle of the seasons." Her father smiled. "Without winter, we couldn't have spring. And winter has its own beauty. You'll understand, eventually."_

 _"I want to, Papa."_

 _"Let's start over. Call the cold to you..."_

* * *

Anna's eyes fluttered open and pain assaulted her as soon as consciousness arrived. "Owww..."

"Anna, you're awake! We were so worried." Jane stood up and moved to check on her.

She glanced around, recognizing the decor as Elsa's room. It seemed to be late morning, but it was hard to tell, as she felt dizzy and uncomfortable. Just moving her head sent more pain racing through her. "What happened?"

"We found you unconscious on the floor in front of Elsa's door. You wouldn't wake up, no matter what we tried." That sounded almost identical to what Ariel said had happened to her. "Elsa said to keep you here until you managed to wake, while she went to the trolls to see if she could find anything that might help."

Anna groaned. "She didn't have to do that."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "She's the Queen, she doesn't ask permission from the rest of us. Now, how are you feeling?"

"Awful." She said.

"Any idea what caused this?" The healer asked.

"Yes, and I really don't know what I can do about it right now."

"Let me know if you think of anything or you start feeling worse. None of us want to see you like that again." Jane said. "And stay in bed. I'll have some food brought up for you later if you're hungry, but I want you to stay here until you're feeling better."

"You won't get any arguments from me." She lay back some. "I'm really not feeling like moving or anything at the moment."

Anna sighed. A small part of her was glad that Elsa wasn't here, that she had an excuse to put off telling her. The other, larger part wanted the blonde there, wanted to tell her everything. Wanted her.

Fortunately, Jane had brought in the book she'd left in her room, so she at least had something to distract herself with while she waited. It didn't help much, as her mind kept wandering back to dwelling on Elsa and how she'd react to what Anna planned to say. From there, she worried some about what would happen if the blonde said no, and even more if she said yes. ' _Am I ready for another relationship? Do I want to leave myself open to being hurt again?_ ' And despite everything, she did.

* * *

"Anna, you're awake!" Elsa smiled when she saw the redhead reading in bed. Anna looked up, smiling back. She definitely felt better, after resting for most of the day. And seeing Elsa certainly helped. _She's so beautiful_.

"Yeah, I..." Her words trailed off as Elsa entered the room. The queen was still in her riding clothes, dust and a few leaves clinging to them. She tossed her gloves onto a side table and walked over to the bed. She leaned down, examining Anna. Her eyes drank in every detail of the blonde's face. Elsa froze as their eyes met, only a few inches from Anna. She wanted to reach out, to...

Cool, pale fingers brushed her cheek, gently, slowly tracing their way along Anna's jawline. The queen drew closer, but at the last moment, she pulled back, withdrawing her hand abruptly. "We can't do this," she whispered roughly.

A tide of emotions flowed through her, one after another after another, until she could barely tell them apart. The one overriding thought was that this was a mistake. She _couldn't_ lose Elsa. Not now. Not when she finally knew what she wanted. "Elsa..." Her voice was also quiet, but more from hurt and anger.

"You don't understand." Tears glistened at the corners of the blonde's eyes.

"Then tell me." Anna insisted.

"I..." Elsa shrunk in on herself. A faint blue glow rippled over her as her magic reacted. She looked around at the walls, then down to her hands. "I'm already a freak. Why can't I be normal in just one way?"

Anna reached out, taking the blonde's hand. "You're not a freak. You're... I don't want you to change." She smiled. "I like you just the way you are."

"But... If... I could lose..." The blonde gulped. Her eyes were still locked with Anna's and she didn't pull her hand away. "If the people knew..."

"Would they care? And why do you? Elsa, you're a hero. You're the only one standing between Arendelle and eternal winter. Look at Kristoff, Jane, Merida, everyone. None of them look down on you." Anna insisted.

"I..." The queen hesitated. "I can'tMMMMMMmmmmm..." She trailed off as Anna leaned up, pulling the blonde in and kissing her. She felt the other woman's arms wrap around her, and rather than resisting, Elsa was eagerly kissing her back. Whatever objections she had were now gone, apparently. Anna moaned softly. She had kissed the queen in her dreams more than she cared to admit, but the reality was better than she had imagined. Far better.

She sank back down to the bed, pulling Elsa with her, wrapping her arms around the blonde. She held the queen as they kissed, revelling in the feel of the other woman's body on hers. Elsa pressed down, deepening the kiss. Anna returned her passion, a small part of her mind noting that as much as she wanted this, the blonde seemed to hunger for it even more.

Her own hands roamed Elsa's back, exploring where she'd only dreamed before. Even through the cloth of the queen's riding dress, she felt...

 _Right_.

Her tongue danced along Elsa's lips, seeking entrance. The blonde's lips parted, a soft moan leaking out as their tongues met. The queen was...

 _Mine_.

Elsa's fingers tugged at the laces of the sleepdress Anna wore. A pull, and the knot slipped, her already loose nightgown growing even more so. Anna gasped at the first touch of cool warm skin against her own. She was...

 _Hers_.

She loved that touch. That magic bound up in it. The feel of Elsa against her. Touching her. Needing her. Wanting her. Having her. Her body shivered. Not from the cold of Elsa's skin. From the pleasure of it. The connection. She shifted slightly, allowing the blonde to explore further. One shoulder of her nightgown slid from her shoulder. The blonde's hand pulled at the fabric -

"Pardon me." Ice - and not the good kind, the _Elsa_ kind - cut through the mood in an instant. Anna snapped out of the trance she'd been in, and glared at Kristoff as the ice master politely looked away from the two women.

"Kris, _can't you knock?_ " Elsa growled as she straightened herself.

"I did. Several times." There was no trace of the expected amusement, only worry. "We have an emergency. I wouldn't have interrupted, otherwise."

"What is it?" The anger left the queen's voice.

"The frost giants have crossed the border." Kristoff held up a hand, forestalling any questions. "Not just raiding parties, but an entire army. And the cold has followed them."

* * *

 _Next Chapter: War with the Frost Giants!_

* * *

 _A/N 1: First off, I'm back at last!_

 _I know, I've been gone a long time... R/L stuff merged with severe writer's block until recently. But hopefully that won't be as bad now. I want to start writing regularly again, though it won't be as much as previously. Anyway, enough of that._

 _A/N 2: This chapter went through several rewrites, as well as causing my massive brain block. It's a bit shorter than the others, but I didn't want to keep going and cut off during the next part._


	12. Ch 12 - Everything is in good Hans

**Winter's Mirror**

Chapter 12 - Everything is in good Hans

"So, despite all the expense, all the work, the spies we exposed, your people failed," The high king spoke evenly, managing to sound almost bored. He had learned over the years that in situations like this, an even, calm tone tended to scare failures more than ranting and rages. "That is what happened, is it not?"

The man standing before the throne gulped nervously but held his ground, and Hans felt a momentary spark of respect for him, but he ruthlessly crushed it. "Majesty, our agents wounded the queen. We're not sure how seriously. Even now, she may be dying. With respect-"

Hans cut him off with a gesture. "With respect, for the money you charged me to hire your merry little band of cutthroats, she should be dead! You don't know my half-sister the way I do. That bitch can heal from anything. It's all part of her thrice-cursed magic."

"But-" The criminal paused, then continued. "We weren't told she could heal like that, had we known..."

"You wouldn't have taken the job." The king finished for him. "Don't pretend otherwise. We both know the only reason you took this in the first place is the outrageous sum I paid you. It's fine." He waved absently. "Elsa will be distracted, and that will suffice for the moment."

"Er... yes, Majesty." The man looked relieved.

"Jal," Hans snapped his fingers. A servant came running, carrying a large, jingling sack with him. "Give our guest the rest of his payment." He smiled at the look of confusion on the assassin's face. "What? Did you think I would have you killed for failing? I'm not a madman, I don't waste resources out of spite."

His smile turned grim and he snapped his fingers again. This time the guard near the door raised his crossbow and fired in one smooth motion, the bolt slamming into the assassin's back and driving him to his knees. Hans knelt beside the man and he spoke almost conversationally. "I was going to have you killed regardless. I'm sure Elsa may suspect I was behind this, but unless your men were stupid enough to bring anything incriminating, she can't know for sure. And that uncertainty will eat at her. She won't be able to trust anyone."

He stood up and motioned towards the dying assassin. "Take care of this mess. Make sure that our other agents know that sloppy work will not be tolerated."

"Yes, Majesty."

Hans smiled, a real smile this time. _If I can get the Ice Bitch to start turning on her supporters, I can finally end this. And if not... well, I just need a little more time. Speaking of..._ He walked towards the rear exit of the great hall, pausing at his guards. "I'm going to visit our special guests. Make sure I'm not disturbed."

The guards snapped a salute, and he pushed the door open and continued past them. Rather than continuing straight to his chambers, he turned and started down a set of stairs. More guards awaited. Unlike the others, who wore the colors of the kingdom, these bore the colors of his house. They didn't bother waiting for orders, simply unlocking the door for him.

He eyed the guards briefly, before turning his attention to the cells waiting beyond the door. Even though he had taken extreme measures to ensure their loyalty, Hans had a hard time trusting anyone. _I can't let down my guard now, not when I'm so close._

"Mercy, please... Majesty, please have mercy!" He ignored the pitiful cries from the first few cells. Little that was recognizable remained of the previous regent and his wife. They had publicly denounced him during the early days of the succession struggles, allying with various of his brothers. If they thought he would release them now, to work against him again, their captivity had clearly driven them mad.

The calls faded as he walked down the hall. Farther, much farther than most people would have expected, a single door guarded by four of his most loyal personal guard awaited him. They saluted, and one unlocked the door and held it open.

"Brother." The voice that greeted him from within rasped and trailed off to insane laughter.

"Magnus. I'd ask how you are, but I think we both know that I don't care." Hans suppressed a shiver, as he always did when he had to talk to his brother.

"You could at least take off this blindfold, let me look at you while we talk," His brother suggested from where he was chained on the wall.

"I'm not Valk, do you really think I'd be that stupid?" He replied.

"He was a real moron, wasn't he? I mean, he actually believed all that honor and family loyalty nonsense Father was always trying to push on us," Magnus agreed conversationally. "Of course, if you were smart, you would have killed me. You have to know that one day I'll get free, and on that day... I have plans for you, little brother." He broke out in his maddened laughter again. "I seem to have nothing but time to make plans."

Despite himself, Hans backed a step away from his brother. He knew that with his hands bound in iron and a blindfold over his eyes, Magnus' sorcery was useless. But something about his brother's attitude always seemed to get the better of him. "I didn't come here to talk about your depraved fantasies. I need answers."

"You know the rules, Hansie." His brother mocked. "Nothing is ever free."

Sighing, Hans drew his belt knife and removed his left glove. With the ease of long practice, he sliced a small cut on his thumb before raising it to his brother's lips. As always, the tingle of magic sent a shiver through him. His half-sister's magic was ice, but it had always felt clean, pure. Magnus' on the other hand was dark and awful. Like dead leaves on the ground on the night of a new moon in autumn, or something rotting in the back of a room.

"Ahhhh... How many times have we played this game, little brother? You gain knowledge, but you also give me strength. How many more times can you risk playing?" Magnus cackled. "Ask your questions, damn you. Ask!"

"All right. I know my assassins have failed, but Elsa's army hasn't attacked, is she dead or does she not know it was me behind the attempt?"

"Neither. Our dear half-sister lives, as do her close companions. They found detailed orders on one of those idiots, and know you are responsible." Magnus grinned. "I think my best revenge might be to simply let her have you. I might enjoy watching you suffer."

"Then why hasn't she attacked? After our last failed attack, she could easily crush us. The reinforcements from the southern clans haven't arrived yet." He asked.

"There are greater threats than you, Hans." His brother's tone dripped with contempt. "She's dealing with the frost giants at the moment. If not for them, she could crush you easily."

"So they finally crossed the border in force... That changes things."

"It does." Magnus agreed, with a smile that Hans didn't like at all.

"Last question -"

"No."

"No?" Hans growled. "I gave you my blood, I'm playing the damn game. You owe me another answer."

"That was before. The rules have changed. Their power surges, courses over the land. Even my sight is limited. You have all the answers you will get for now," Magnus paused and smirked. "Unless you'd care to give me more blood..."

"Gods damn you, brother!" He turned angrily towards the door.

"We are all damned, Hansie! All of us!" Magnus laughed, insanity ringing clear in his voice. "You most of all. The true game is almost done, and your debts will come due. From the least to the greatest of them. Even the ones you think I don't know about. What will you do then, Hans? Shall I tell you what fate awaits you along _those_ paths?" Another coughing laugh rang out. "See you again soon, little brother! See you soon!"

* * *

"I don't understand, sire."

"It's a simple question, general," Hans held back a sigh. "How many men can we afford to shift to the northern border?"

"Most of our remaining forces are already deployed along the eastern border, as you ordered, sire. We would have to strip our defenses to a minimum to organize a large enough force to be practical against the north." The general reported.

"Would we still be able to hold if Elsa attacked?" He asked.

"It is unlikely, sire." The military man said. "We just don't have enough men left to do both. We might be able to hold long enough to reinforce, but even that would be a risk."

Hans stared at the map. If the frost giants crossed his border as well as Elsa's, with no opposition, they'd make it to the capital before reinforcements could arrive. As much as he ached to finally smash his half-sister's army once and for all, without more troops, he couldn't afford to risk it now. "Send the orders out today, general. All available forces to the northern front. Send word to the loyal clans as well. Call up our reserves. When they arrive, organize them and have them move towards Elsa's front."

"At once!" The military man saluted and exited the room.

He turned his attention to Snow, the current ranking Seer left in the kingdom, now that Gerda and Kai were missing and presumed dead. "Do you have anything useful to add, Seer?"

"Only some minor news. We managed to protect another vale from this cursed winter. It's too late now for a full crop, but it will increase our food stores." The seer reported. "As for the other matter, I have nothing new. The signs are unclear. We cannot see anything about what happened to Kai or Gerda or Anna. Either they are dead, or beyond our reach."

"I doubt they are dead. Elsa has been protecting herself a little too well recently." He sighed. "Besides, I'm not that lucky."

"You should have listened. I told you before that your offensive was a bad idea. And you never should have trusted the elders - they certainly didn't trust you fully. Neither did their little apprentice." Snow frowned at him.

"I know... She might have been useful, but that ship has sailed. She's probably dead, anyway. At least, I can hope." He paused, checking to make sure the room was still clear. "You didn't say anything about my plan."

"It had to be done. The giants seem to be focused on the Ice Queen, but we can't rely on that to continue." She nodded towards the map. "We're not going to win, not this year anyway. We have to regroup and prepare for a new opportunity."

"You realize, if you say this around any of my jarls..." Hans warned.

"I know, I'm not stupid." Snow waved it away. "You do see the other problem though?"

" _I_ am not stupid, either." He snorted. "If she wins, and wins easily, we're done. The jarls will break away and join her, one by one."

"So we understand each other." The Seer smiled faintly.

"One more thing... how is your other research going?" He asked as she headed to the door.

"No better than last time you asked. Honestly, sire, you would probably have better luck than me. Unless you're ready to give me access to your brother's library?" Snow raised an eyebrow.

"Magnus' books will remain sealed. Nothing good can come from his twisted magics." Hans told her firmly, the lie coming with the ease of long practice.

"Then don't expect miracles. We're busy enough trying to save as much of the crop as we can." She said as she left the room.

"Bitch." Hans murmured under his breath once the door was closed. She was certainly out of earshot, but she still had ways of knowing things she shouldn't. It was at once useful and a threat. He longed for the day when he no longer needed any of the Seers. Especially Snow. Unfortunately, after the disaster where Kai and Gerda were lost, the remaining elders made it clear that any more such accidents would mean the loss of all support from the Seers. And that would send the more devoted of the jarls running with them. And that would open the flood gates.

He stared at the map, focusing on Elsa's territory. "Bitch..." he repeated. It would be so easy to crush her, if he was willing to lose everything he'd gained. And that was unacceptible. No, better to hold, to maintain his alliances. Defend his borders and let his enemies weaken each other.

Hans winced. That line of thought was Willem, all over. He waited and waited and waited, letting his brothers take one another out. He'd waited so long that all his allies had joined Hans, when he pointed out that, unlike the coward Willem, _he_ was actually winning. A little extra bribery hadn't exactly hurt his cause, either.

He flagged down a page, and a few minutes later, his general was in front of him once more. "Sire, you have new orders?"

"Yes." He gave the man a grim smile. "I've reconsidered. We will never win this war on the defensive. We need a major victory. Something we can use to rally the undecided to our cause. Can you confirm one thing for me, general?"

"Yes, sire?" The man asked.

"You say that the northern clans have reinforced Elsa?" Hans asked.

"They have, sire. Their units have been confirmed by our scouts and remaining spies. Some along our border, but the majority are with her army." The general nodded, pointing at the map.

"How many?"

"Nearly all of them. We could break through the lines and strike at Elsa's capital, but... you know she has more than men guarding there." He looked thoughtful. "Have the Seers found a way to deal with her magic and monsters?"

"No. Not yet." Hans met the man's eyes. "I have a better target in mind..."

* * *

It hurt.

It always hurt.

Forced to use the power, while bound in iron.

But pain was an old lover.

Magnus knew her games well.

And her caress was a worthy trade.

Every time Hans asked his questions, gave his blood, Magnus could draw from him. It was never much, but his little brother always returned. Information for his latest scheme. Blackmail on an ally. Warning on his enemies.

Pain sank her fingers into him once more.

She never liked it when his thoughts were too stable.

When they turned from her.

Magnus smiled.

A terrible smile.

The game was indeed almost over.

And he had one final move to make.

A wracking, dry cackle forced its way out of him.

"Soon..."

* * *

 _Next Chapter: Back to Elsa and Anna, and their war._

* * *

 _A/N: I know I said last chapter that this one would the war with the giants, but this chapter had some needed background. Plus, it was fun to flesh out Hans and Magnus some more. So far, everything has been from Anna's POV, but this just wouldn't work with her, and skipping it would leave out important parts of the story._

 _Also, I know this one's shorter, but there's really not much else for them to do right now, so we'll be cutting back to Anna in 13! Already started on it, but no promises on when, sorry._


End file.
